A Simple Memory
by Luna Silvereyes
Summary: The appearance of a nomadic vampire named Wynter causes old memories to resurface where they aren't wanted. At the same time, an influx of vampire fledglings sparks the start of an occult war a 150 years in the making. Hellsing may be in for a rough time.
1. One

A Simple Memory

Luna Silvereyes

A/N: My first Hellsing fanfic. I sure hope it works out well. I've become a huge fan of it since I started watching it, though I have to say I prefer Hellsing Ultimate to the original. It's more in depth and follows the manga almost to the letter. Both are good, though. Also, this story will be more closely written to Ultimate than to the original Hellsing. Just a heads' up.

One

The smell of blood was potent; sweet and mouth-watering to the young Draculina as she made her way through the wreckage toward her goal. Her Harkonnen Cannon braced against her shoulder, she paused at the corner of a ruined building, peering through the smoke to locate her target. From what little they knew of him, this vampire was clearly a youngster lacking proper training. Alucard had told Seras the fate of young vampires whose masters either died or abandoned them to fend for themselves too early. Seras, only a year old, could sympathize with the youngster. She counted her blessings when she thought of Alucard, who trained her as a vampire.

_Don't let yourself be distracted, Police-Girl!_

Seras growled to herself. _"Please stop calling me Police-Girl, master!"_

_ This is not the time, nor the place to be arguing that ridiculous point, Police-Girl. Do you have your bearings?_

Seras coughed. _"Even with my heightened senses, it's difficult to maneuver."_ she replied. _"I'm pretty sure the target is still inside one of the buildings,"_

She heard him start to growl in anticipation. _Excellent. I'm on my way there._

Seras stood up and quickly made her way forward, knowing she had superb backup in her master. She hunkered down behind a fallen slab of stone and waited, training her senses on one spot in particular where she could sense the presence of blood. Her sensitive ears picked up the sounds of grumbling. Her eyes narrowed and she loaded her gun, bracing the barrel on the concrete and waiting. Directly in front of her, she could see him; the tall, scrawny form of the fledgling vampire, feeding desperately off a human corpse on the ground. From her distance, Seras could see that the corpse was nearly drained of all blood. She almost felt sorry for the youngster; he must have been starving. Alucard had told her that poorly trained vampires had a 50/50 chance of survival in the world. This one wouldn't last the night.

The youngster abandoned the corpse, bending to lick the blood off the ground with desperate, heaving gasps. She could see his eyes, stained gold in the red irises. He was famished and heavily emaciated. She could sense that he wasn't that old of a fledgling. But she no longer felt overpowering remorse like she had as a human. She closed one eye and fired off a single round, striking the youngster in the arm. His arm exploded from his body in a shower of blood and his screech of pain and fear rent the night, sending shivers down Seras's spine. He fell to the ground with a sickening thud, wailing and thrashing about, but too weak to fight back. Seras felt a stab of anger. Integra had ordered them to eliminate this vampire on contact with no mercy. But this pathetic thing was barely worth the effort. She voiced this aloud and someone overheard it through her mind.

_You're right; he's nothing to worry about. Put him out of his misery and keep your eyes peeled. His master is about._

Seras gasped and stood up, putting herself in full view of the poor fledgling. _"Master!? But I thought he was abandoned!"_

_ It's only a ruse, Police-Girl. This weakling was created for the sole purpose of distracting us. Pretty clever. Almost had me fooled. But enough chatter. It's time to start our true assignment. First, dispatch the weakling._

Seras's eyes widened in alarm as she watched the fledgling trying to struggle away. _"But master, he's so weak. He's clearly starving! I don't think he's dangerous!"_

_ Fool, a starving vampire is the most dangerous kind. If you let him go free, he'll fill the entire countryside with ghouls just to satiate his appetite. He wasn't trained well._

_ "But that's not his fault!" _Seras practically screamed. Alucard snarled viciously, sending her shivers. _Maybe not, but there's nothing to be done for it! Do as you're told, Seras!_

Seras sighed. He'd used her name. That meant he was serious. Nowadays, he only called her Police-Girl just to toy with her. But when he called her by her name, he meant business.

_"Yes, master," _she thought bitterly, aiming one final time. The next shot took off the youngster's head and plowed through half of his chest, causing him to disintegrate into a pile of dust. His cries echoed through the sky and through Seras's heart. She heard Alucard sigh irritably. _Remember, Seras, it's mercy._

She knew that. Once in a while, Alucard was understanding in her lingering hesitation to kill. Sure, it had gotten better, but she obviously still had a ways to go, yet.

_Seras, scan the village for any ghouls. I'll search out our wayward sire._

Seras stood up. Alucard was going after the vampire who'd created that poor fledgling and abandoned him. Seras had to go after any ghouls that might remain from the fledgling's binge. She jumped over the lump of concrete that had been her base and hurried into the wreckage. There were bodies strewn all over the place, probably from the smoke. They wouldn't become ghouls, but they could become food for them. Seras had to be wary. If the ghouls followed the smell of decaying flesh to the village, it could get ugly. She glanced one final time at the dust pile that had been that unfortunate fledgling and hurried further into the chaos.

Seras checked the windows of the homes still standing, searching for any signs of life. Not that it mattered; if there were people still living, she had to either kill them or summon Alucard to wipe their memories. Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, she found no traces of life. Nothing but bodies of men, women, children and pets. She could sense a heartbeat from meters away, yet felt nothing from them.

As she moved to the second house along the row, she stopped and ducked behind a fallen door. The smoke was thick, killing her sense of smell. Her eyes stung, but she forced them to stay open as she peered through the haze.

They were coming.

"Ghouls," she muttered. _"Master, they've picked up the scent. Ghouls from elsewhere."_

_ As I warned you, Seras, this fledgling had probably been busy for a while. Take them out. I'm almost there._

_"Yes, sir," _Seras replied. She was about to move when the receiver in her ear buzzed loudly. She hissed and reached up to turn it on before the ghouls heard it. "This is Seras," she said.

"_Seras, has the vampire been taken care of, yet? It's taking you two far too long,_" Integra's voice snapped over the receiver.

"No, Sir Integra. My master says that the vampire I killed was just a decoy for the real threat. Apparently, his plan was to use the fledgling to make ghouls to keep us busy while he escaped."

"_Damn it all. Where is Alucard?_"

"He's on his way here. He's going to find the creator." Seras replied, casting a furtive glance at the ghouls heading her way.

"_Walter and I are headed in your direction. We should arrive in about ten minutes, but we're running out of time. The district police are at our throats, wanting to know what the bloody hell is going on down there._"

"I know. We'll take care of it, Sir Integra," Seras said, loading her gun.

"_You'd better,_"

Seras sighed and stood up, aiming once and firing an explosive round directly into the center of the ghouls. The explosion ripped through most of them, scattering the rest. They continued coming and Seras chose this moment to fire one more round, incapacitating them enough for her to deal with each one individually. She'd long since gotten used to putting ghouls out of their misery. Humans were still lived and others like herself were something of a different matter on occasion.

"I'm getting tired of this. Where's master?" Seras muttered. But there it was, that same prickling feeling in her mind of another vampire standing behind her. She grinned and turned, "Mas-" she started to say. The words hitched in her throat.  
It wasn't Alucard. Whoever it was, to her ever-increasing horror, carried her master's head with him, but it wasn't him. The newcomer carelessly tossed Alucard's severed head to Seras. She just stared at it. "Not again. Master, are you getting careless or what?" she muttered, stepping backward as the new vampire approached, clearly under the impression he'd accomplished something big, "Master, this is the fourth time this month you've had your head cut off," Seras complained under her breath, "Please hurry this time."

She heard his voice in her head, chuckling with mirth. _Ah, Police-Girl, you just don't understand. Fear and misleading are only half the game._

The new vampire leered down at her. His dirty blond hair hung low over his red eyes as he eyed her. "Hm, a fledgling in the very least. Not what I'd expect from the the famous Alucard's partner. I'd have thought you'd be at least as difficult to take down as he was,"

He gestured at the head in her arms. "I can reunite you with him, if you'd like. A fledgling should never be separated from the master too early, you know. It can lead to..._problems_," he hissed tauntingly. Seras's mind flashed back to the poor fledgling she'd been forced to kill. Her rage boiled over. "How could you do that!? That thing didn't even stand a chance against me! You're the reason he went berserk!" she shrieked.

The vampire shrugged. "He was too weak, hardly worthy to call himself my apprentice. You, on the other hand, radiate power like I haven't seen in a long time."

He moved closer, his eyes filled with power and greed. Seras couldn't stand that look.

"Trash like you doesn't deserve the title of Vampire," she snapped. Faster than she could blink, Seras found herself on the ground, her face stinging angrily. He'd slapped her.

"How dare you insult me, you arrogant youngster!" the vampire growled at her.

"_Arrogant youngster? Really now. So what does that make you? A wise elder? Don't make me laugh,_"

The vampire paused and stared up at the sky in confusion. "What? Who's there?" he yelled, whirling. "Show yourself!"

Seras blinked and looked down at her master's head. He clearly hadn't spoken; he was too busy pulling himself together. Literally. She gasped as a slight wind began to blow around them, the whistling sounding through the tree branches in an ominous harmony of nature. The vampire's eyes widened and he bared his fangs. "Show yourself!" he commanded again.

"Why?" a new voice said to their right. "I'm right here."

Seras glanced over, her eyes boring into the darkness. Two fiery orbs glared out from between two crumbled homes. She gasped and scooted back as the figure moved out of the darkness. Cloaked in black, long black hair blowing ominously in the wind, a third vampire made herself known. Seras just stared. This newcomer looked about her age, twenty or so. Her eyes were pure, bright red, shimmering with anticipation of battle. She opened her mouth, revealing blade-like fangs as she hissed menacingly. Her gaze shifted to the night sky and her expression softened. "Wow. What a beautiful moon," she whispered. She turned to Seras. "You there. You too are a vampire, am I correct?"

Seras shook fiercely before nodding yes, her jaw hanging open. The new vampire glided over, her movements quick and graceful, but unseen. She knelt to Seras's level and gently reached her hand out, resting her finger on her lower jaw and closing the girl's mouth with a snap. She smirked. "It's very rude to stare," she admonished with a smile. Seras just blinked and nodded slowly.

"Um, who are you?" she asked. The vampire straightened up, her body framed in the majestic moonlight. "There will be time for introductions later. For now, take care of your, um, _item_, there," she said, coughing a little. To Seras, her eyes seemed dimmed at the sight of her master's head. But for some reason, she didn't appear a bit surprised. Instead, she turned to the enemy. "Ah, Ludwig Johansen. It's been a long time. Ten years, maybe?"

"Cut the crap, who the hell are you? How dare you come between me and my prey!?" the vampire called Ludwig bellowed. He made a lunge at the female vampire and Seras fully expected her to be torn to pieces. But to her surprise, the second Ludwig charged, the female's eyes' gentle glow burst into a flaming red, burning through the darkness as her fangs lengthened. As Seras watched, a strange sense of familiarity came to her. The female deftly evaded Ludwig's claws, shifting a mock charge to the right before dashing to the left and grazing her teeth against his shoulder. Ludwig yelled in shock and vaulted out of the way as the female skidded to a stop on the hard ground. Her head shot up and she snarled, the sound much resembling a wolf's cry. Then, she stood up, taking a deep, albeit unecessary breath.

_Police-Girl! Cover your ears!_

Seras had no time to register the sudden appearance of her master's voice in her head before the ear-splitting howl burst forth from the female's throat, reverberating through the narrow street and slamming into both Seras and Ludwig. Seras cried out in pain as she felt her ears being pummeled by the sound, raising a single hand to cover them while still holding her master's head in the other. "What is this!?" she cried over the sound. She opened her eyes to see Ludwig, straining in agony, as he'd taken the full brunt of the blast.

Finally, the howl died and the female coughed just once before charging at Ludwig, her fangs extended. Ludwig screamed, but the sound quickly died as she reached his throat, tearing it open with a single wrench of her neck. Seras watched in numb horror as Ludwig was ripped to pieces before her, blood splattering against the walls. The female vampire ceased her destructive tirade as quickly as she'd started, sitting back with a sigh and spitting a mouthful of Ludwig's blood out. She cringed. "Egh. Disgusting." she growled. She got to her feet, staring down at her 'handiwork'. Then, she focused her gaze on Seras. She turned, wiping the blood from her mouth with her sleeve. She spat another mouthful of it out and gagged. "God, I think I'm going to be sick," she growled. "His blood tastes horrible."

"W-Well," Seras said, "I suppose the blood of your own kind would have a peculiar taste to it,"

The female vampire eyed her curiously. The flame in her eyes was beginning to die down slightly. She smiled warmly. "Ah, I recognize you. You're Seras Victoria, aren't you?"

Her gaze shifted downwards to Alucard's head. Seras briefly wondered why it was taking him so long to regenerate. The female vampire sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I see he hasn't changed much," she muttered, shaking her head. "He can be so irritating, I swear."

"Um, pardon me for asking, but how do you know my master?" Seras asked. Instantly, the female's eyes blazed. Before Seras could react, she'd flown forward, her face inches from Seras's. Her eyes bore deep into hers and she sniffed lightly. Her expression went from horrified shock to that of sad acceptance. "I see," she said, moving back upright. At that moment, Alucard's head dissipated into a thick black mist, floating upwards to join another cloud of black mist drifting into the ruined town. The cloud hovered blankly for a moment before morphing into a humanoid shape. Slowly, Seras's master appeared, quite alive and whole. He smirked, straightening his hat. Seras glowered up at him. "Master, I do wish you'd stop letting them cut your head off! It scares me half to death every single time!"

"Half to death?" Alucard repeated in bewilderment. "Police-Girl, need I remind you you're already dead?"

Seras bristled and her face went red. "You know what I mean!" she shrieked. "Honestly. How come you're always so mean to me?" she pouted. Gentle laughing made her look up to the female vampire, chuckling lightly. "I see you haven't changed a bit. I can't tell you how relieved I am, Master Alucard," the female said.

Seras's eyes widened.

"M-Master!?" she exclaimed.

A/N: This story kind of evolved. By the time I finished it two days ago, it had abandoned its first storyline in favor of another one entirely. This leads me to believe that there may be a sequel in the works. But lets' finish this one first and then I'll let you all decide what I should do, because I'm cool with it either way. HELLSING RULES! Hehe.


	2. Two

A/N: Not much of a reception at first. I wish Fanfiction would allow for longer summaries. Then maybe I could write something that would actually entice people to my story. MarzBarz, you rule for reading and commenting. Please continue to do so, as it is quite encouraging. ^_^

Two

The wind rushed past, but Seras paid it no mind as she stared at the female vampire standing before them. Her long raven hair followed the wind's paths, trailing elegantly clear down her back. It was longer even than Alucard's hair. Her flaming eyes bored into Seras's with an intensity she had yet to experience until now. Seras tried to place the strange emotion emanating off the female vampire, but to no avail, as she quickly closed her eyes. She shifted her arm beneath her cloak and pulled out a metallic band with two lengths of black cloth dangling from either end. This, she pulled up to her face and placed over her eyes and above the bridge of her nose where it sat perfectly, molded to her flesh. She tied the cloths together behind her head and dropped her arms.

"I feel I should be going, now," she murmured. She turned. There was a horrible, squelching sound and Seras jumped and gasped sharply as two jet-black, bloody wings erupted from the female vampire's back through two slits in her cloak. Fully feathered, fully functional, she flapped them twice, flinging the blood off. Then, with a rushing wind, the sound like a thousand tortured voices, she spread her wings, preparing to fly.

"Wait!" Seras exclaimed. The female vampire turned. Her eyes flamed. "Yes?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

The female vampire smiled a surprisingly warm and inviting smile considering her sharp fangs. "Call me Wynter." she said. The breeze around them picked up in a screaming whirlwind and before Seras could blink, the vampire Wynter had taken off into the skies, soaring off into the darkness. Seras stared into the inky blackness of night where she'd vanished. Then, she turned to Alucard. "Master, who was that?"

"I believe she already answered that for you, Police-Girl," he replied. Seras fumed. "No, I mean she called you 'master'! Do you know her?"

"Police-Girl, I've lived for many centuries and known quite a few people. Whether I know her or not depends on how big of an impression she made on me."

Seras stared hard at him. Try as he might to brush it off, she suspected that he knew more than he was letting on. But for the moment, they'd completed their job. Integra would probably be a little irritated at how long it took them to finish it, but at least it was over and done with.

"Oh, I'm exhausted," Seras moaned, flopping to the side limply. "Is this what I'll seriously be doing for the rest of my life?"

"Possibly. For either the rest of your life or however long Hellsing remains intact. Whichever comes first," Alucard replied simply. Seras grumbled to herself. "Gee, thanks, master, you're so encouraging."

Alucard peered down at his fledgling curiously. "Are you still angry?" he asked, more for his own curiosity than concern for her welfare.

"No, not really. What you said made sense. But he was a fledgling just like me. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him."

"Be thankful you have a master who won't throw you to the wind before your time, Police-Girl," Alucard practically spat out. "Humans have a phrase I hear from time to time. They say that sometimes, you learn to swim by being thrown in and seeing what happens. I've never heard such ridiculous nonsense before."

Seras smiled slightly and stood up. In his own weird, warped way, Alucard was just reassuring her that he wasn't going to just abandon her. She really was thankful for it, despite the fact that she wished he'd be a little more understanding from time to time. In the very least, she wished he wouldn't meld his helpful tidbits with sarcasm.

"So, master," she said, grabbing her gun and following after him, "Wynter, do you know who she was?"

Alucard didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead in the direction of faint thumping sounds. Sir Integra and Walter were probably on their way. Seras sighed and braced the Harkonnen's barrel against her shoulder. "Master, how come you never answer my questions?" she asked irritably.

"Because they often aren't worth answering," Alucard replied bluntly. Seras's head lolled. "That's mean, master. But wait, what about that question? You just answered it!"

"It was worth answering."

"Agh, why are you so mean to me?"

"I'm hard on you because you have potential, Police-Girl. Don't complain."

"I'm not," Seras growled. She shifted her gun and sighed. She knew that he was dodging her questions about Wynter. He clearly knew who she was, but for some reason, was refusing to tell her. Was she someone that Alucard knew in the past? Maybe a relative? No, that couldn't be right; Alucard was a vampire who walked alone. He'd told her himself that perhaps the world was ready for a vampire that didn't travel by her lonesome, rising from Seras's refusal to drink her master's blood and free herself from him. She just didn't feel she was ready to. She shook her head fiercely. She was supposed to be trying to figure out who this vampire Wynter could be. Maybe she was a lover from the past? Seras shook her head again, realizing that if she'd eaten, she'd probably be blushing. She felt a deep respect for her master that bordered between love and parental admiration. It was a perfectly balanced in-between and somehow made her slightly flustered to think about it. Besides, something told her that wasn't the correct answer anyway.

She chanced a look at Alucard, walking with his hands in his pockets, staring blankly ahead of him. His laid back nature was just a farce; he was always on high alert at all times. He only ever truly relaxed when locked deep within his chambers at Hellsing's headquarters. She swallowed, wondering whether or not to try to ask him more about Wynter.

"Don't waste your time, Police-Girl," he said. Seras jumped in surprise before remembering their weird telepathic bond, developed from the moment they became master and apprentice. He could somehow sense whatever she was thinking, whereas she could only hear him. She couldn't truly sense his thoughts. It was irritating as hell, but there was nothing she could do for it.

"But master, I'm just curious about her, that's all. You seemed to know her. I just wanted to know if maybe she was an old friend or something, you know?"

He sighed irritably and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Police-Girl, I'm not going to say this again. Mind your own business."

Seras made to protest, but thought better of it and bit her tongue. She'd upset him. Obviously, mentioning Wynter brought back memories only he remembered, but would rather have kept buried.

"Sorry, master," she whispered. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Whoever said I was upset? I simply don't know anything else," he said, grinning. Seras rolled her eyes. He was still hyped up from pent up anticipation from the battle and was in one of his post-fighting moods again. He wouldn't take anything seriously until after he'd slept for a few hours. She'd already gotten used to it, but Integra's short temper was another story. Alucard often got himself 'killed' when talking to his master in one of these moods.

"You're lying," Seras muttered.

"Says you,"

Seras clenched her fists, snarling to herself. "Wynter was right; you _are_ irritating!" she snapped. He tipped his hat. "Just another of my redeeming qualities," he said, grinning.

Seras felt the need to go out and kill something.

//ooo//

Wynter sighed heavily and stretched. She'd recently fed well and needed to find a safe place to rest. Because of her nomadic nature, keeping a coffin was out of the question. Fortunately, her special abilities made it easier for her. She was what was called a Day Walker. She could freely walk about in the daytime and not have to worry about death by sunlight. Unfortunately, the only drawback was her unusually pale skin, which burnt unnaturally quickly. Well, she supposed it was natural for her kind, a Proper Undead.

She stood up, turning to the east. It was almost sunrise. She had money; maybe she'd just settle for an inn for the day and search out a nice dry cave somewhere in the meantime. She'd gotten away with it before. She'd spent years perfecting the art of charming her human prey. The secret lay in eye contact. Once she locked eyes with a human, it was all over. That was one reason she wore the blindfold. The other was that no matter how much blood she drank, her eyes never dulled down to a neutral enough color not to draw attention to herself. She told humans that the blindfold protected her abnormally sensitive eyes and she pretended to need a guide stick when in reality, she was always aware of her path.

As she stood up, memories of her meeting with the younger vampire, Seras, came to mind. Instantly, sadness replaced contentment from feeding.

"Seras Victoria," she whispered, "Quite the interesting young vampire, if you ask me,"

She smiled. She knew she wanted to be upset about the current matters at hand, but she knew that given the circumstances, it was for the best. She gazed up at the pale twilight sky, preparing to allow the sun to ascend the heavens and rule the day once again.

"Well then, Seras Victoria," she muttered, turning in the direction of Hellsing's headquarters, "Perhaps I would like to meet you. I wonder, can you hear my thoughts?"

//ooo//

Seras bolted awake, gasping. She shot up, forgetting the lid of her bed for a second and knocked her forehead sharply against the wooden surface. Snarling and clutching her head, she pushed the button, making the lid rise up. Then, she sat up fully.

"Wynter?" she exclaimed softly. She was sure she'd heard Wynter's voice in her head just then. Did Wynter have telepathic abilities? Like Alucard, was Wynter an abnormally powerful vampire who could communicate by thought? Vaguely, she wondered if perhaps all vampires could do this and that she just hadn't learned how, yet. She wished Alucard would answer her questions.

She gasped and stood up. "Wait! Integra might know something," she said. "All right then, I'll ask her."

//ooo//

"I can't believe this," Integra snapped, "Another village, destroyed by these third-rate fledgling vampires."

She slapped the report down on her desk and gazed hopelessly at the piles and piles of papers lining it. Walter cleared his throat. "Sir Integra, have you considered the possibility of another incident involving the FREAKS?" he asked.

" I have, Walter," Integra replied, going over another recent report. She rubbed her eyes beneath the frames of her glasses and sighed, "But every vampire examined at each scene proved to be a normal fledgling. They only had one noticeable thing in common,"

"The lack of a master," Walter said. Integra nodded. "Yes. Each one was weak, poorly trained and heavily emaciated, hinting that they'd been abandoned by their sires or possibly, sire just moments after creation. The way this is pointing, I can't help but assume that there may just be a single sire behind this mess."

"I must say, I've never heard of such a thing," Walter said, scratching his chin, "A vampire turning dozens of humans into fledgling vampires and then abandoning them with no apparent reason."

"It may not be just one vampire turning them, Walter. It could mean that there's several _doing_ the turning, but that one damn bloodsucker is controlling their actions,"

"In which case, we could have a major epidemic of vampire attacks headed our way in the near future," Walter finished. Integra nodded and sighed heavily. "I'm considering sending Alucard out to investigate this," she said.

"What about Ms. Victoria?" Walter asked.

"She's just a fledgling herself," Integra said, "Since she became comfortable with being a vampire, she developed a rather peevish tendency to feel sympathy for other fledglings. I swear, I don't know what that idiot Alucard was thinking by turning her," she grumbled. She glanced up at the sound of the door creaking. She sighed, "I can hear you, you know," she called. Seras stepped in, looking somewhat hurt. "Um, Sir Integra, am I really that much of a burden?" she asked, having completely forgotten her original mission. Integra couldn't help but smile at Seras's childlike innocence.

"No, Seras, you aren't a problem at all as you are. You're still learning. I'm placing the blame on that numbskull you've got for a master,"

Seras giggled at that and heard Alucard's voice growling in her head.

_Humph. And after everything I've done for her,_ he grumbled. Seras scowled and scratched her head furiously. "Master, stay out of my head!" she shrieked to the surprise of Integra and Walter. She froze, blushed heavily as a result of feeding two hours ago and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. He has a habit of manipulating our telepathic bond to eavesdrop," she said.

_Hey!_

"I apologize if I startled you,"

"It's quite all right," Integra said, adjusting her glasses, "I understand the feeling to a degree,"

_No good traitors._

"Thank you, Sir Integra," Seras said with a smile. She loved it when she was able to irritate her master for once, instead of the other way around.

"Now then," Integra said, "Did you need something, Seras?"

"Um, yes, I did have a question for you, but I suppose I'd better wait for another time. Master's still hanging around."

_I am not! Whoops._

"So I'll let you get back to work,"

"That would be appreciated," Integra said with a light smile. As Seras departed, Integra sighed. "It seems my wayward servant is feeling a bit quirky today. Maybe sending him to investigate the matter is a good thing,"

Walter chuckled. "Modern times are certainly having an effect on him. As I recall, he wasn't like that when he awoke,"

"No, but he wasn't incredibly tolerable then, either. I swear, his curiosity was almost a death for him on more than one occasion, his bizarre fascination with outlets for starters. Now then, back to the issue at hand. I've received word from Norwich that three young men have all vanished under mysterious circumstances and have all been spotted along the coastline. How much do you want to bet it's our fang-happy vampire at work again?"

"Observing the influx of fledgling vampires, I'm beginning to notice a pattern, Sir Integra," Walter said. "Our first case at Dover two months ago produced the reanimated corpses of three young women between the ages of eleven and twenty-two, all of them recently abandoned fledglings and all of them poorly trained."

"Yes."

"Then, our second case at Leeds yielded four corpses, one woman estimated at about fifteen and three young men between the ages of twelve and nineteen."

"Yes. That one was difficult to explain to the townsfolk."

"And finally, excluding our most recent case, there was the final attack at Shrewsbury. Six corpses, all of them women between the ages of ten and twenty. I'm beginning to dissect a pattern here, Sir Integra."

"I see your point," Integra said, leaning her chin on her upraised hand. "The victims were predominately female and all of them were adolescents."

"Precisely. Furthermore, all of the women were virgins at the time of creation and all but one engaged to be married sometime that year."

"I see. So this then tells us that whoever is pulling the strings behind the creation of these fledgling vampires has spent a lot of time studying his victims beforehand. But this brings us to this question; what on earth is the motive? Creating all of these fledglings and then abandoning them to fend for themselves without any proper training? I don't see how it all adds up."

"Perhaps Alucard might have some idea. I dread to tell you Sir Integra, but I'm afraid I'm rather stumped at the moment," Walter admitted grudgingly.

"Yes, he might," Integra grumbled reluctantly, hesitant to involve Alucard in any of this matter whatsoever. "Despite how I wish to keep him out of this if at all possible, he might be our best option. He has, after all, turned and trained four successful fledglings that we are aware of, Seras Victoria included in that number."

"Sir Integra, I actually have a bit of news concerning one of Alucard's fledglings. We managed to track her down and sadly, I'm afraid she was killed by the Iscariot Organization some time ago. As for the first, I'm afraid her whereabouts are unknown at present."

"What about the third?" Integra asked.

"Same. As you requested years ago, the moment we found out about Alucard's fledglings, I have kept tabs on as many as I could find. Only the second and third were traceable. The last sighting of his third fledgling was about three years ago in Ireland by the Iscariot Organization. I fear the chances that she has been eliminated as well are rather high, Sir Integra."

"That's rather disturbing," Integra said, lighting a cigar and sighing. "Naturally, any fledgling of Alucard's is going to inherit vast amounts of power. If the wrong people got a hold of one of those fledglings, it would be the same as releasing Alucard from his bondage,"

"There may still be hope for the first. Perhaps she would serve a purpose in our quest to discover the meaning behind these irate fledglings and their enigmatic master," Walter said, smirking.

Integra nodded. "There is some merit to that idea, Walter. Provided the first one is still connected to Alucard, she may be of assistance. Do you know her name?"

"Yes. I believe she is called Wynter,"

A/N: I love Wynter. She's awesome! She's in my hall of memories in my profile. It's a list of my all time favorite creations. I have another character who will go in there. Her name is Nightingale. But her story isn't up yet and won't be for quite some time, so she'll have to wait.


	3. Three

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Open Office quit on me and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get it working again. Downloading a new version did nothing and I don't have Microsoft Office, so I had no choice but to spend the day reformatting my computer completely. Anyway, here's the new chapter. Read and enjoy.

Three

_"No! Leave me alone! Help me! Master! Master, no! Help me! Please, help me! __**Help me!!**__"_

"No!" the vampire yelled, bolting awake. He glanced quickly around his darkened room, fully expecting to see his dream playing out before him, making him relive that awful day over and over again. He was surprised to realize that he'd been crying in his sleep again, tears of precious blood dripping down his face and into his hand.

"Just a dream," he muttered into the darkness. "But that same one again? When will it end?"

He'd lost all desire to rest. The screams from his dream haunted him, plagued him all the time, reminding him of his failure in the past. Whenever he awoke from that dream when it decided to show itself in his head in his vulnerable sleep, he always shed precious blood tears. He was unable to help it. He'd failed. He'd failed. Those agonizing screams, pleas for help he was unable to give. The reminder of his bitter failure ate away at him.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily, unusual for a vampire of his caliber. He glanced over at the wall dividing his chamber with that of his young apprentice, Seras Victoria. He got to his feet and moved to the wall, feeling his body slowly grow lighter. In two seconds, he was transparent. In four seconds, he moved to touch the wall, his hand passing through it into the empty space beyond. He slowly moved against the stone, effectively crossing the barrier into Seras's chamber. He found her sound asleep on her bed, the lid still raised. He moved to the center of the room, watching her. Turning to her table sitting a few feet away from him, he noticed that the blood bag was half empty, the bowl still holding a tiny pool of it in its center. He sighed and shook his head with a small smile. At least she'd been trying, he had to give her credit for that. He of all people knew that becoming a full-fledged vampire was a slow process and took some time and patience to do it correctly.

With this in mind, he moved over to Seras's bed and sat down on the edge, watching her sleep. He wasn't sure why, but that dream had made him realize exactly how important Seras's role was in this drama.

"Foolish youngster," he muttered. "That's right; be thankful you have a master who won't abandon you, not until you're ready to be abandoned. You'd better understand this, Police-Girl, because there's nothing I hate more than having to repeat myself."

Seras moaned in her sleep and turned over with a sigh. He just chuckled and stood up, moving back to the wall and slowly dissipating through it. Once back in his own chamber, he sat down in his chair with a sigh and folded his arms. He figured he'd try to sleep again and hedge his bets on one of the more bearable nightmares this time around.

It was going to be a long wait until sundown.

//ooo//

Integra waited impatiently. She'd summoned Alucard over a half an hour ago. Just what in the world was he doing to take so long? She stared out the window, hands folded behind her back as she watched the moon slowly reach its majestic zenith in the sky, illuminating the earth in its soft, stolen glow. Times like this almost made her forget all of the misery she'd endured over the years, all of the lives lost because of her. Her spot in hell was assured, this she was aware of. But even so, she never forgot her pride as a Hellsing. Or, the Hellsing family's darkest legacy.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered at the familiar presence entering her office through the wall. Integra turned. Alucard's face was shadowed beneath his hat so that only his eerie glasses could be seen reflecting the moonlight wafting into the room.

"You summoned me, my master?" he murmured.

"Yes," Integra said as seriously as she could, sitting down at her desk. She decided to overlook how late he was in arriving "And you'd better answer everything I'm about to ask you,"

"If it's within my vast store of knowledge, I'll do my best," he replied. Integra didn't bother to read between the lines. Alucard would answer only if it suited his fancy to answer. Even ten years later, he was still as irritating as ever. Integra had to wonder if that was part of the reason he'd been locked up in the dungeons for so long to begin with. She sighed, deciding where to begin.

"Alucard, have you heard from any of your fledglings recently?"

Alucard froze. Integra knew she'd probably hit a sore spot. But the strings of abandoned fledglings attacking humans was just getting worse. Alucard was her best bet at solving this dilemma.

"Alucard?" she pried.

"I haven't," he answered, his voice betraying nothing. "As you well know, once a fledgling has drunk the master's blood, they are forever freed from them."

"Yes, but I believe that two of your four known fledglings were different," Integra muttered, turning and taking out a cigar and lighting it. She chanced a look at Alucard. His face showed no emotion as he replied. "Different?" he said.

"Don't play dumb, Alucard," Integra warned, "Two of them were never released, Seras Victoria included. Is that right?"

"Yes, that is correct. Two of them drank my blood and left."

"And what of the other two?"

Alucard smirked, "I'm sure you're aware of Seras Victoria, Integra" Alucard chimed. Integra rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know that Seras is still your apprentice and probably will remain that way for a long time, perhaps long after I'm gone. I wouldn't be surprised, seeing how clumsy she is. I'm talking of the other one."

Here, Alucard's face darkened and Integra knew that she'd probably tread too deep into the matter. For a vampire, Alucard was surprisingly sensitive about his past. He adamantly refused to tell his master how he even came to be a vampire in the first place or what he was like before his transformation, much less who he even was. Considering this, it was only natural he wouldn't want to talk about his previous fledglings.

"Alucard, I'm only asking you about them because the bunch of you might be able to figure out what the motive behind the creation of these new vampires is. You're the only vampire I know who has turned and successfully raised four fledglings, two of whom are still alive today."

"What was that?" Alucard asked, tilting his head. Integra interlocked her fingers beneath her chin and sighed, staring at her desk. "I suppose that you wouldn't have known this, given that they were freed from you. Your second and third fledglings have been killed by the Iscariot Organization, Alucard. But your first and fourth survive, although the former's location is yet to be verified."

"I see, then," Alucard said, "So then you're asking me to track the first down and recruit her help in the matter of dealing with the erratic number of abandoned fledglings?"

"Yes. Do you have any idea where she is?" Integra asked. To her surprise, Alucard started chuckling and pulled his glasses from his eyes, fixing her with a smug stare.

"Actually, Seras and I ran into her the other night," he replied. Integra's eyes widened and she gasped. "What!?"

"Oh, did I neglect to inform you? My deepest apologies, master," Alucard said, still chuckling, "But I'm afraid that we didn't actually kill the vampire. Wynter did."

Integra glared at him fiercely for withholding this important information. Then, she sighed heavily and sat down. "All right, so your fledgling killed the vampire. At least now we know her whereabouts. Did she recognize you?"

Alucard shrugged. "Of course, as did I. We're still connected, you realize," he said. But his tone had gone deeper and Integra could tell that he wished to cease talking, now. She hummed and turned to a stack of paperwork she'd been procrastinating on. "Thank you, Alucard, that will be all," she said.

He turned to go without a word. Before he could leave, however, Integra called out to him, "Alucard, wait a second,"

He paused at the door without turning around. "Yes, Integra?" he mumbled.

"I apologize for bringing Wynter up. I understand that you dislike speaking of her. I don't know your reasons, whatever they may be, but try to understand that we're on the verge of a mild crisis and we're going to need all the information we can get. Am I clear?"

He turned, grinning as he put his glasses back on. He tipped them forward, peering out at her with a single visible red eye. "Transparently," he replied. He turned and left without another word. Integra stared after him, suddenly depressed. She and Alucard bickered constantly, but every time she thought of her unusual servant, she could feel only gratitude. He'd saved her life on more than one occasion, the first being on the day they met when she broke into his cell to escape from her uncle. Ever since that day, they'd shared a strange relationship similar to father and daughter, or brother and sister, or perhaps even something else entirely. With this, Integra sensed and understood what Alucard was sometimes thinking. She'd discovered his secret about his fledglings by accident when he mentioned the name Laura. She'd always assumed that that was the name of a fledgling of his, because he'd spoken her name with a kind of parental warmth in his voice.

But the mysterious first fledgling, Wynter, posed a great enigma. The mention of her name caused Alucard obvious stress and Integra didn't care to bring it up if she didn't have to. Besides, she had her hands full with their current problem. Fledgling vampires were turning up faster than she and the Hellsing organization could eliminate them. Even the Iscariot Organization was having difficulties. Somewhere out there, _someone_ or _something_ was creating fledgling after fledgling and then carelessly abandoning them to fend for themselves. The result was a multitude of villages being annihilated and a mass tidal wave of ghouls sprouting up in their wake. At this rate, the entire English population was going to crumble before they got to the root of the problem.

What's more, the most recent case she'd received that afternoon had reported the disappearance of five girls, all nineteen years old and all now sharing similar physical and mental characteristics. All of them came from wealthy families in the heart of London, they all played some kind of musical instrument and they were all engaged to be married. Integra couldn't be sure, but it almost seemed like the vampire in question was narrowing down his choice of victims to a limited number of people all sharing similar qualities.

"Damn bastard," she hissed, "Just what on earth is he planning?"

//ooo//

Wynter mulled her thoughts over as she sat beside the drained body of her recent victim. She'd fed well and was content to enjoy a little thinking time as she revisited old memories from before. She could still remember her first taste of blood. She could remember how she'd hated it, but found herself unable to stop drinking once told to. Master had told her that blood was an acquired taste, that within a few years, or even months, she'd come to crave it's sickeningly sweet flavor and smooth texture as willingly as her instincts allowed. But he always warned her about this craving, that it was a curse as much as a blessing. If she killed too much, she'd be hunted down. If she killed too little, she'd grow weak and still be hunted down. There was a fine line of mutual respect that existed between vampires and their prey. He'd had a healthy respect for humans and he insisted that she learn the same. At the time, Wynter had been appalled. Her Master couldn't have been serious, she'd thought. But she knew he was truthful. He often traveled through towns to blend with the human populace, despite their fear of his kind. During times like this, he often took her with him, both to further her knowledge and training and to enhance his disguise.

Wynter sighed heavily and glanced at the corpse beside her. It was already beginning to rot. She needed to move before the humans discovered it. Her fangs were delicate and unusually slim. Her bite marks were barely noticeable. Shielding her eyes with her cloak's hood, she peered up through the branches of the trees at the sky. The sun was an hour away from its zenith, the most dangerous time of day for a Day Walker such as herself. Like Alucard, she was pretty much immune to the sun's punishing rays on her dead skin. But while she didn't scorch like so many other vampires in the past, she did suffer severe burns if she allowed herself too much exposure. She smirked as she remembered a bizarre human invention called sunscreen. Perhaps she'd be in favor of giving it a try. If it worked, then the humans were only making it easier for Day Walkers to prowl.

But as Wynter approached the thicker forest, she choked and doubled over suddenly, cupping her hand over her mouth and wrapping an arm around her midsection. Falling to her knees, she gagged violently before throwing up every ounce of blood she'd just consumed. The sound of it sloshing to the ground only made it worse as bloody tears stung her eyes from the exertion. The previously sweet taste had turned foul as she coughed viciously, gasping on reflex, despite her lack of need for air. She sat back, staring dejectedly at the regurgitated blood resting grotesquely on the ground. She had no idea why, but lately, her body had been rejecting certain meals she took in. She tried to see if there was a pattern in the victims. She'd originally thought that alcoholics' blood did it to her and so she stopped preying on unwary drunks emerging from taverns. But this recent man had been a peddler and after watching him for several days, she assured that he wasn't a drunk and never even touched alcohol. But again, she was vexed. Wynter sighed, feeling the familiar torturous thirst returning. She didn't mind too terribly much that her body wasn't regularly accepting the blood, but she did mind having to hunt _again_ that day. As she stepped around the blood and prepared to leave, a vague sense of familiarity hit her. She frowned. "Hm. I almost recall similar instances from my time as a human," she mumbled, "Did I have a weak body then?"

She shrugged and moved on, the incident already forgotten. She was hungry, yet again.

//ooo//

Seras stared down in mild disgust at the fresh blood bag placed in the ice bucket in her room. Even now, a year later, she still hated to drink it. Sure, the taste was growing on her and her body craved it as it had craved air, food and water when she was human, but her remaining humanity remained an ugly reminder of what she'd become.

"Police-Girl,"

Seras shrieked and leaped out of her chair, bounding over to smack against the wall in terror. Alucard watched her bemusedly. Seras glowered fiercely at him and stomped her feet childishly. "Master, don't do that!" she screamed. She sighed heavily, "And _please_ stop calling me that. I have a name,"

Alucard ignored her, choosing to study the bag of blood on the table, waiting to be consumed. Seras followed his gaze and felt a rush of sheepishness flood in. She shook her hands in the air, laughing nervously, "It isn't what it looks like, Master, I was actually just getting ready to eat it," she fibbed.

"Just make it easier on yourself," Alucard said. In other words, "I've been standing here for a while now and you hadn't touched it".

Seras sighed and slid to the floor, curling into a pathetic ball. "I know, I know. It's been almost a year, now. I should be used to it by now,"

Alucard actually smiled. "I always told this same thing to my other fledglings; the taste of blood has to be acquired. It takes longer for some than others," he said. "However, you're right, it has been almost a year. I'm beginning to wonder if you're even cut out for the job, Police-Girl,"

Seras fixed him with a drop-dead stare. "If I could hand in my resignation, I would, Master. But I can see that's not possible. Wait, other fledglings? You mean I'm not the only one?" Seras exclaimed suddenly. Alucard's face turned incredulous. "Really now, where on earth did you get that idea?" he said mirthfully, inclining his head. "Of course you weren't the only one."

"How many other fledglings are there?" she asked curiously.

"Three. But you'd do well not to worry about them. After all, of all four of you, I'd have to say you're definitely the scrawniest by choice,"

Seras shrieked angrily, clambered to her feet and grabbed the chair, hurling it at him furiously. He just chuckled, ducked out of the way in a single smooth movement and reappeared behind her, lashing out and locking his fingers around her neck. Seras froze and not by choice. She found she was suddenly unable to move.

"Master, what the-? What did you do to me?" she practically whined. Alucard chuckled and adjusted his glasses with his free hand. "I've rendered you helpless, Police-Girl. I suggest keeping that temper in check."

"So stop provoking me, Master," Seras grumbled. He released her neck and at the sudden freedom, she yelled and toppled forward. Alucard raised his head, gazing into space. He sighed and grinned at his fledgling. "It seems I'm being summoned. Don't forget to—"

"I know! I know!" Seras shrieked at his retreating form, dissipating into thin air to respond to Integra's call.

Alucard found his master seated at her desk with another large pile of papers. Dark circles lined her eyes and she moved automatically, going through familiar motions with no real or logical thought. He frowned. "You summoned me?" he said.

"Yes," Integra replied without looking up. She handed him a slip of paper. "Take a look at this,"

Alucard moved forward and grasped the paper into his hand. He scanned over it quickly and his eyes widened. "Is this true?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Thirteen killings. All women, aged nineteen. The vampire has abandoned all human males for his experiments." Integra growled.

Alucard just stared at what he'd read. Nineteen. A rather familiar number that he didn't care to read in harmony with the news of the fledglings.

"Unlike the last case, these women have absolutely nothing in common but their age," Integra said. "Some of them are artists, some of them in schooling, and some of them play musical instruments. Of all of them, only one was engaged this time."

Alucard could hear the masked stress in Integra's voice. He sighed and set the paper back down on the desk. Then, he pulled his Jackal out.

"Fine then, I'll investigate tonight," he declared. Integra scowled and got to her feet, moving around the desk toward him. "I gave you no orders to do so, Alucard! You are to stay here until we've come up with a reasonable plan for this,"

Alucard smiled. "Far be it from me to go against my master's wishes," he said, "But you're barely standing. I could simply brush against you and you'd crumple to the ground."

As he spoke, he tapped her shoulder with his finger. Integra didn't fall, but she shifted a bit, glowering at him. Even eleven years later, he still admired her tenacity, but being human took its toll on her. He always wished she'd allow him to turn her so she could get around such petty human weaknesses like fatigue. But Integra would have none of it. She slapped his hand away. "Your orders are to remain here," she hissed. "Disobey me and you'll suffer the consequences,"

She whirled and stalked back to her desk. "I'm sending out squadron ten to deal with the new fledglings I'm sure we'll receive by tonight, that is if our wayward sire decides to stick to his schedule,"

She shoved a fresh stack of papers closer to her and paused. She seemed to be thinking about something deeply as she hesitated. She looked up and met his gaze, "Alucard," she said, "Actually, I do have something for you to do,"

Apprehensive, but unwilling to break his oath, Alucard didn't take his eyes from her. "What is it?"

"I need you to track down Wynter for us. As I've said before, I don't know your reasons why you avoid speaking of her or the others, but we're going to need her help. She is your fledgling and therefore, a direct successor to your power. The situation is only getting worse and now, I fear we have no other choice."

Alucard regarded her coldly. But he would never go against Integra's orders. Of all his previous masters, he considered himself loyal to Integra more than any other. After all, she would likely be his last master. He tilted his head down, hiding his face. "As you request," he said. "I'll do what I can, on one condition,"

Integra watched him carefully, but he betrayed nothing. He just turned, eying her out of the corner of his eye. "I expect you to be recovered when I return," he said. Integra sighed and pushed her hair from her eyes. "Very well, I'll accept that condition," she said, not entirely planning to, though. She appreciated his concern for her, after all, despite their constant bickering, they were still close. But she knew that the lives of so many people depended on her future actions. Alucard understood that, but she knew better than to voice her qualms aloud to him. He was quick with the argumentative comebacks.

"Stay out of trouble, Alucard," Integra warned as he left. His laughter could be heard reverberating through the hall even as the door closed. Integra sighed and shook her head. "And take care of yourself," she added silently.

//ooo//

Alucard made several attempts to try to locate Wynter telepathically, as he'd done countless times over the past century and a half. But for some reason, after that day, all telepathic response had been severed between them. He could only sense that she was alive, though struggling for some reason. That was all.

He was thirsty and his body was telling him to hunt and slake his thirst. But his honor was stronger than his instinct. Integra had given him not only an order, but also a request. This case was getting more severe by the minute and she was running herself ragged trying to stop it. Alucard forced his instincts aside and focused on the mission at hand; to find Wynter, after more than a hundred years. Vampires were incapable of physical change, but they made mental changes all the time to better adapt themselves to an ever-changing world filled with humans. It made them crafty and was one of the reasons they were so feared by the humans.

He heard the familiar footsteps long before Walter actually appeared in the dimly lit hallway. Walter nodded politely at Alucard, who stopped.

"Good evening, Walter," he said.

"And a very good evening to you, Alucard. I can see you're heading out, so I'd like a moment of your time,"

Alucard followed Walter to the basement sub-level where age old devices and weapons were stored, remnants and relics from a bygone age of Hellsings. Walter took out a wooden box and handed him three fresh magazines. Alucard took them and stored them in his coat.

"Thanks," he said. Walter nodded. "Be careful with those. They're experimental shells containing a higher level of silver content than before. I suspect that they're powerful enough to scorch you, this time."

Alucard smirked, "Not a problem," he said, "I don't expect this job to require bullets."

"If I may ask, what exactly are you doing this time? I'm afraid I was unable to return until just this afternoon,"

"Integra asked me to track down Wynter," Alucard said, his voice just barely concealing..._something_. Walter couldn't place what he'd heard in the Vampire King's voice right then. He only knew that he'd never heard it before in all the years he'd known him.

"I see," Walter said sternly, "Do you know where to begin looking?"

"No, but I have a fair idea of where she's skulking about," Alucard leered. "She's got a rather unusual aura. She shouldn't be difficult to track down,"

He turned to go, leaving Walter with a confused expression on his face. "Alucard," he said, "If it's so simple to find Wynter, then why have a hundred and fifty-two years passed and you still haven't done so already?"

But Alucard ignored him and continued, leaving Walter behind to stare after him in puzzlement.

A/N: All I can say here is that I hope everyone's still in character. -_-;


	4. Four

A/N: I'm busy proofreading the story and changing out a piece of the plot that I don't like, so updates may take a little longer than expected.

Four

Wynter retched violently and collapsed against a tree trunk, gasping and clutching the fabric of her coat. Her fangs elongated from recent feeding, she snarled in frustration. "Why? Why? Why can't I feed properly? Why can't I keep anything down?"

The corpse of her latest victim, a small child, lay drained and already attracting flies nearby. A last, desperate attempt to nourish herself. Wynter already felt sick from attacking an innocent child, but she was desperate. She'd fed at least a dozen times in four days, always bringing up more blood than she'd actually taken in. She just couldn't pinpoint the problem, nor could she detect a pattern in her victims. They were all astronomically different. She just couldn't understand why she was unable to feed. This child, his eyes had plagued her as she'd taken his life. She'd mercifully killed him first, rather than by slowly drinking from him. The blood wasn't as sweet, but she wasn't cruel.

Now, she sat, taking deep, heaving breaths and cursing whatever it was that made it so she couldn't eat. It had always been like this, but never this bad before. Once in awhile, she'd throw up whatever she ate, dismiss it as nothing and hunt one more time. Never before had she regurgitated her meals in succession like she was doing. Now, she was getting dangerously weak. The child's blood, along with her own, lay in a hideous puddle on the ground. Soon, she'd be took weak to hunt and would possibly fall prey to animals, humans, or worse, other vampires.

"I'm so hungry," she whispered, "What the hell is wrong with me? Damn it!"

She slammed her fist into the tree, so weak that she barely made a dent in the bark.

Shakily, she got to her feet and stumbled off into the bushes. She dared not wander far from the village and a plentiful food supply. She'd just have to bide her time and wait until another opportunity presented itself. But she knew that it was only a matter of time before people in the village noticed the string of disappearances and would eventually come to the conclusion of a vampire lurking nearby. If not a vampire, at least something that was killing off their numbers in succession.

"I guess I'm dead, then," she muttered. "Funny, vampires can live for hundreds, even thousands of years. I'm still just a baby in that sense," she grunted as she fell backwards into a bush to hide herself, "How pathetic."

She pulled her cloak around her shoulders and closed her eyes, ignoring the burning thirst and the gnawing pain in her body as it protested the constant upheaval of blood. It was beginning to put a strain on her, and in more ways than one. She figured that if she wasn't killed soon, she would lose herself to carnal instincts and go berserk. _Then_ she'd be killed.

Wynter sighed and snuggled into her cloak and long, raven hair. Sleep had become her savior. It temporarily freed her from the tortured pain her body was experiencing. Maybe she'd get lucky and be killed in her sleep.

She could only hope.

//ooo//

Integra was just finishing up a new report on a recent case when there was a knock at the door. She looked up. "Come in," she said. She was surprised to see Seras standing there. "Hello, Seras," she said.

"Good evening, Sir Integra," Seras said, "Do you remember that question I had for you?"

"Yes, I do. Alucard is out investigating for me, so feel free to ask. He shouldn't be a problem this time," Integra said. Seras moved inside and shut the door. "Did he already tell you about when we went after that one fledgling?" she said.

"Yes. He told me that you two didn't kill it, but that Wynter did," Integra said, shuffling through her papers for an address sheet.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to ask you about. Do you by chance know who Wynter is?" Seras asked.

"Of course I do," Integra muttered, "She was Alucard's first fledgling. Why?"

To Integra's surprise, Seras's eyes widened immensely. "What? Are you saying that Wynter is another of his fledglings?" she said shrilly.

"You mean he hasn't told you?" Integra snapped incredulously. She sighed and sat back in her chair, rubbing her eyes beneath her glasses and grumbling to herself. "That idiot. I understand he may have reasons for not telling me, but you're another of his fledglings; you of all people deserve to know about your respective 'siblings'," she growled, lighting a cigar in her irritation. She motioned to one of the chairs sitting against the wall a few feet away. "Sit down. If he won't tell you, I guess the responsibility is on me," she grumbled. Seras did as she was told and pulled the chair to the front of Integra's desk. Integra took the cigar from her mouth and fixed Seras with a knowing gaze.

"First off, you should know that the string of abandoned fledglings has increased exponentially over the past several days. I've sent Alucard on a special mission, which he'd better be accomplishing as we speak," she said, growling out her last few words. "This mission is a retrieval, Seras,"

"A retrieval?" the young vampire repeated in confusion. "What exactly is he retrieving?"

Integra smiled lightly. "Your older sister," she said. She chuckled at Seras's stunned expression before continuing. "Alucard has created four fledglings that we know of or that survived. I do hope he's at least told you that much,"

"Yes, earlier today, in fact," Seras replied. Integra sighed in relief. "That's good. I was afraid that his mind was beginning to deteriorate with age," she mumbled dryly. "You are the fourth fledgling, whereas Wynter was his first."

"She was the first? But wait, what about the second and third?" Seras exclaimed.

"They're dead," Integra said bluntly. Seras blinked and looked down at the floor. "Uh...oh," she said.

"I'm afraid that the Iscariot Organization probably got to them before we could. Wynter is clearly powerful, despite never being released from her master. I'll begin by saying that that's why the two of you were different from the other fledglings," Integra said grimly.

"How?"

"You're both still connected with Alucard. You refused to drink his blood when he offered it and apparently, for whatever reason, Wynter is in the same state. As we speak, I'm having Alucard track her down. We may need her help."

"Wynter is coming here?" Seras said.

"That's what we're hoping, Seras. You two met her on your recent mission. Tell me, what did you think of her?"

Seras thought for a moment, trying to remember.

"I remember feeling a familiar sense when she fought. Now that I know what's really going on, I understand that I recognized my master's fighting style in hers. She was kind to me, though. But when she sniffed me, she got a little...almost wistful,"

"Understandable," Integra said, nodding wisely, "She realized she'd been replaced. She could smell his scent."

"Yeah," Seras replied awkwardly, shifting in her chair. "But now, I think I'd like to meet her,"

"You'll likely get your chance. Alucard is supposed to bring her directly to me once he catches up with her. But tell me, why do you wish to meet your predecessor?"

"I don't know," Seras admitted, looking away. Her eyes took on a faraway look, "Up until recently, I thought that you, Alucard and Walter were all I had and I knew that I'm nothing like you people. But now, knowing about Wynter, I just sort of feel a connection I didn't know about before, you know?"

Integra smiled slightly. This girl was quite the romantic, wasn't she? Integra was secretly glad that being a vampire hadn't completely stifled her personality.

"Why don't you go back to your room. I know for a fact you haven't been drinking the blood, Seras," she said, peering at her over her glasses. Seras chuckled dryly, sheepishly.

"Yeah, sorry, Sir Integra," she said, scratching her chin.

"Go on, then," Integra said. Seras got up, bowed politely and departed quickly. Integra stared after her and sighed. Then, she gazed around at her unfinished work. Without Alucard and Walter around, it was rather quiet at the Hellsing headquarters. Walter was off in the heart of London requesting an audience with Her Majesty to discuss the options should the vampires seek victims from the capital. Only alone would she even admit to herself how she worried for them. Walter was getting up there in years and no matter how great your skills, life always wins in the end, one way or another. Alucard was also the most powerful known vampire in existence, but he was head-strong and cocky. She knew that one of these days, one of his victims would take him by surprise. Seras was so young and innocent in the true ways of the world and despite being a vampire, she could still be killed. As her master, Alucard should have cared a little more to supplement her mind and skills to the life of a vampire. He should learn to pay closer attention to his fledgling's antics. The way it was now, Alucard should have become a little more of father figure than a master to that poor girl. She'd been given a choice; life as a vampire, or death as a human. A pretty crummy choice as far as Integra was concerned. She supposed that the least Alucard could do for the girl was to be a little more compassionate and understanding through all of this, seeing how she'd been shoved headfirst into a world filled with death and danger, everyday occurrences in the lives of the Proper Undead.

Integra sighed heavily, interlocking her fingers beneath her chin and staring off into space, for once, allowing her thoughts to muddle aimlessly.

//ooo//

Wynter found herself unable to move from her spot beneath the giant oak, dim red eyes staring into space. Through her hunger-induced haze, she could hear voices.

_Sister! Sister, wait for me!_

Whose were they? They sounded so far away, but she couldn't really place them.

_Sister, did you make this for me? Wow! It's beautiful! I'll wear it every day, even in the summer time!_

Wynter moaned in pain, feeling the gnawing, tearing feeling in her body. The torturous ache, her body demanding nourishment. Another failed attempt at feeding lay festering on the ground a few feet away. Wynter could barely muster the strength to roll her eyes around. Her limbs felt cold and heavy. Was she dying? No, she wasn't dying. Because she couldn't feed, her body was going into torpor. If a vampire was cut away from a blood supply for an extended period of time, dormancy ensued until the smell of blood was caught again. It was a useful survival strategy, but it had a drawback. If her body wasn't safe at the moment of torpor, she could be in danger. She lay in an open clearing in the forest where she'd fallen hours ago.

"Mas...ter," she whispered weakly.

_Master? Master, no! No, don't do this! Help me! Master, help me!_

A light crunching of leaves caught her attention and her instincts went haywire. She wanted to fight or to run, whichever her sight called for upon seeing whatever was approaching her from behind. Her limbs twitched madly, but she was unable to summon enough strength to even raise her head. She moaned again, furrowing her brows as the footsteps came ever closer.

"Stay...back...." she hissed, so weak she could barely hear herself.

_"Is this really the end for me? Am I going to die here? I'm only a baby in undead years. I have to fight! I need to fight!"_

The footsteps stopped beside her. Whoever it was stared down at her, but Wynter couldn't move her head to look up.

"Who...are...you?" she rasped out. There was no reply, but a shadow had fallen over her from the sunlight drifting in through the treetops. She was mildly sheltered so she'd be safe from the burns she usually suffered from sun exposure.

"What...do...you...want?" her voice was getting hoarser and weaker by the minute. "I...demand... an...answer,"

There was still no reply. Wynter squeezed her eyes shut as the intruder knelt down beside her. Wynter snarled weakly, but she knew she was caught. In her weakened state, fighting back was pointless. She despised giving in, but she knew she was cornered in her decision. She let out a hissing breath in defeat. "I'm helpless...against you, whoever...you are," she gasped, "Do...whatever you...want."

There was a rustling of fabric and someone's hand appeared in her field of vision. Her eyelids were heavy and closing slowly. She caught a glimpse of red. A white glove with a strange symbol on it. Just before she blacked out completely, it clicked and her heart sank.

"Hell...sing," she hissed.

Darkness.

//ooo//

_"I can't believe it! Sister, you're engaged?"_

_ "Yes, he proposed by the fountain. You see?"_

_ The little girl's bright blue eyes shone with awe and envy at the stone gracing the elder girl's finger. She tenderly reached out to touch it and then recoiled slightly, as though she were afraid it would crack if she even breathed on it. "It's lovely!"_

_ "Isn't it? I told him that it was far too much, but he brushed it off."_

_ "Have you told Maman and Papa yet?"_

_ The elder girl nodded slowly, "No. You know how they feel about him, Helene."_

_ The younger girl sighed heavily. "Yes, but you do love him, right?"_

_ The elder girl smiled happily and pulled the child into her arms, stroking her short, scraggly red hair. "Yes, Helene, I love him very, very much,"_

Wynter gasped sharply and bolted upright, feeling her heart pound wildly. She was vaguely aware that she wasn't lying on the hard ground anymore, that she was lying on something soft. She reached up to brush her hair from her eyes and was surprised by the presence of a warm substance leaking from her eyes. She touched it lightly and brought her fingers down to look at it. Blood tears.

She sighed and looked around her. She was lying on a bed of some sort inside a dark, stone room. There were no lights on, but her red eyes glowed in the darkness, picking out the most minute of details.

She realized with a jolt that she had strength enough to sit up. But how was that possible? She'd eaten nothing and lost more blood than she cared to think about in the past four days alone than she had in over a hundred years. How could she be moving around?

"I should be dormant, now," she muttered wonderingly, bringing her hands up. "How am I still awake?"

She reached up for the blindfold she occasionally wore to fool humans into believing she was another human, but realized with a pang that it wasn't there. She quickly remembered that she'd stashed it in a rabbit's hole back outside some time ago and calmed down.

She jumped when the door across the room opened suddenly, revealing a gangly reddish-haired girl standing there, peering in. "Hello?"

Wynter didn't bother to answer. She let her eyes do the talking as the girl met her gaze. Even from this distance, Wynter could sense the tension skyrocket. It was that same girl from the battle the week before.

The one who had replaced her.

The girl moved inside, cautious, and with good reason. Wynter didn't feel like socializing at the moment, to put it lightly. She wanted nothing more than to escape this wretched place, for she recognized the coat of arms on the girl's outfit.

"Hellsing," she whispered angrily. The girl blinked and smiled. "Yes, you're in the Hellsing Organization's headquarters. This is my room, but don't worry about it. Sir Integra is having a room prepared for you, too. We've met before, Wynter,"

"We have," Wynter agreed. "You're Alucard's fledgling," she bit out bitterly.

"Yes, I am, I'm afraid. Oh, I'm Seras, but now that I recall, you seemed to know that already when we met," Seras said, laughing. Wynter remained stoic and Seras's laugh died into a dry chuckle before clearing her throat. She handed Wynter something.

"Here," she said, "It's blood,"

She held a bag of transfusion blood in her hands. Wynter stared at it and then turned away. "No, thank you. I can't have it,"

Seras blinked in confusion and set the blood down on the bed beside Wynter. "But you should try to drink it. When master found you, you were unconscious from lack of nourishment. He wasn't sure he'd arrived on time," Seras said in an attempt at good nature. Wynter shot an acid stare at the girl, who flinched back in alarm. She cleared her throat again and sat down on the floor, gazing up at Wynter. "So, you're master's first fledgling?" she said in an attempt at conversation. Wynter decided to humor her.

"Yes,"

"How old are you? Maybe a few years older than me? Are you having trouble learning how to hunt or something, because I'm sure master could—"

"I'm a hundred and fifty-two years old," Wynter snapped.

That shut Seras up. She realized she'd been assuming and stuck her foot in her mouth in the process. Why hadn't it occurred to her that Wynter was going to be that much older? After all, she destroyed that powerful vampire without even breaking a sweat. Seras sighed.

"Sorry. I'm only a year old. I can't even drink blood on my own, yet,"

"You don't know what you're missing, kid," Wynter smirked. Seras glowered up at her, biting her lower lip angrily, "I am _not_ a kid! In human years, I'm twenty-one years old!"

"You're a kid to me. I was around when the car was invented and witnessed both world wars," Wynter growled. She froze up suddenly, remembering another conversation that had gone almost exactly like this one, nearly word for word.

"_Wynter? Wynter? _Wynter!"

Wynter gasped and whirled to Seras, staring up at her anxiously. "Wynter, are you all right? You zoned out there," she exclaimed. Wynter blinked and turned away, folding her knees up and curling into a ball. "Sorry, I'm fine," she said unconvincingly.

"It's all right, I understand you probably have a lot to think about. But master should be here soon, so you can catch up on old times, you know?"

"Quit being so damn cheerful; it's depressing," Wynter mumbled. "Besides, I'm too nauseous right now."

"Why?"

"I haven't eaten properly in two months, that's why," Wynter growled.

"Two months? But why?" Seras exclaimed.

Wynter just turned to the wall, not replying. Seras studied her, trying to see past her stony eyes for an answer. She sighed. "You really are master's fledgling," she muttered, "You're just like him,"

Wynter turned her attention back to Seras. "You, on the other hand, are nothing at all like him, are you?"

"I can't seem to grasp the concept of being a vampire," Seras said, "I didn't really have much of a choice in becoming one, though, so I guess it's to be expected,"

Wynter's pupils blazed, "He forced you to become one?" she snapped.

"No, no, he didn't force me. He actually saved me," Seras said quickly, "I was in danger of being killed by another vampire. The only way to save me was to risk killing me first and then turning me," Seras mumbled. "I chose to, but it was either that, or death,"

Seras curled into a ball herself, gazing at the stones in the floor. Wynter just fixed her eyes on her, pondering over this.

"What about you?" Seras asked. Wynter snapped herself from her thoughts in surprise.

"Me?"

"Yes. How were you turned?"

Wynter regarded her carefully, her eyes betraying nothing of the swirling mass of tension building inside her. "I don't completely remember, only that I asked him to do it," Wynter said, staring off into space. Her eyes took on an eerie glow in the darkness. Seras drew a short breath, "You asked him to turn you?" she exclaimed.

"Yes. At the time, I had reasons and understood them. But for some reason, almost all of my memories of my life as a human were erased when I was changed. When I woke up afterward, all I could recall was my name and the fact that I wanted revenge against another vampire. But as to what the revenge was for, or even who it was for, that remains an enigma."

"You asked master to change you so you could get revenge?"

"Yeah, foolish isn't it? I don't even know who I wanted revenge against, only that he was a vampire, like us."

"I see," Seras said, "So, just your name and your desire for revenge. But, I suppose your name helped some. Wynter is a very pretty name," Seras said with a smile.

"Oh, Wynter isn't my real name," the vampire said casually. Seras frowned, more confused than ever. "Huh?"

"Alucard renamed me once I awoke. He said that given my circumstances as a human, it was probably best I left my lost memories as just that-lost. He said that my name would only cause me undue grief and distraction, so he named me Wynter for the last season I spent as a human,"

"Then what was your original name?"

Wynter's eyes grew wistful and almost sad. She sighed faintly.

"I'd rather not say, Seras," she muttered. "That's my business,"

"Oh. I see. But, can you tell me where you're from originally?"

"France,"

"Oh, neat! I've always wanted to go there. Is it nice there?"

"Yes. I spent a great deal of time there searching for any remaining family I might have. A few years ago, I discovered my young niece, the great-great-great granddaughter of my elder brother, so it seemed. I found that he'd been away when whatever happened to my family occurred. I assume he'd been devastated to learn of his parents' and youngest sister's death, and his other sister vanished without a trace. I almost went to visit young Julia, but I stopped myself,"

"Why?" Seras asked without thinking. Wynter shot her a venomous glare. "Really, does it take that much thought?" she growled. "I'm a vampire, a damned bloodsucker. I'm no longer who I used to be, and there's no point in going back; I've been wiped from the family history. But seriously, why am I telling you all this?"

Seras opened her mouth to reply as the door opened behind her suddenly, making her jump in surprise as she whirled reflexively. She immediately calmed when she saw Alucard and Walter enter, the latter carrying a transfusion bag of blood. Walter saw the bag sitting on the bed, untouched and clicked his tongue. "Well, I brought one in case you were thirsty, but I suppose there was no need for it," he said.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Alucard said. Since he'd entered the room, his eyes hadn't left his former apprentice. She, however, refused to raise her head, choosing instead to pick absently at her nails.

"How do you know, master?" Seras asked, feeling slightly awkward at addressing him as such in front of Wynter.

Alucard didn't answer. Instead, he moved silently over to Wynter, staring down at her.

"Wynter, raise your head," he instructed firmly. Wynter sighed, but did as she was told. After all, she was still bound to him and was supposed to listen to him. She raised her eyes to meet his. He leaned forward and gently clasped one side of her head with his left hand, his right hand thumb and index finger carefully framing Wynter's eye, stretching back the eyelids ever so slightly. Wynter allowed him to do this without a word, just watching silently. Alucard tilted his head slightly and hummed. He did the same to the left eye and then straightened up, crossing his arms.

"I thought as much," he said sternly, "You haven't fed in at least two or three months, have you?"

Wynter remained silent, apparently biting her tongue. Seras could sense a strange emotion rolling off the older female vampire, something akin to depression and fatigue.

"Wynter, answer me," Alucard said.

"No, I have fed, quite often, in fact," Wynter replied.

"You're lying, Wynter," Alucard said in mild exasperation and amusement. Wynter's head whipped up, her eyes blazing furiously. "No, I'm not lying! I've fed at least eight times this week!"

"Wynter, your eyes are severely rimmed, meaning that your blood-lust is at a higher level than it should be."

"I can't help it!" Wynter exclaimed helplessly. "I've fed again and again and I can't keep it down!"

Alucard frowned concernedly and removed his glasses, staring down at her seriously.

"What?"

Wynter let out a heavy sigh of defeat and fatigue, clenching her fists on the sheets beneath her. A thick strand of raven hair slipped down her shoulder as she hunched into herself in clear embarrassment. "I mean, that lately, every single time I drink, I just end up throwing it back up again." Wynter snarled. "I don't know what's causing it, but that's why you apparently found me close to dormancy," she muttered.

Alucard hummed and glanced down at the bag of blood on the bed. He picked it up and held it to her. She looked at it incredulously and then up at him the same way.

"Drink it," Alucard told her, "I may know what's going on,"

Wynter seemed reluctant to drink the blood, but everyone in the room could see just how hungry she was. She eyed the blood like a starving man eyed a scrap of stale bread. Her hands shook as she took it from Alucard. She hesitated for the briefest fraction of a section before opening her mouth and burying her fangs into the plastic, sucking the bag dry in under four seconds. Alucard whistled.  
"You _were_ hungry," he commented as Wynter dropped the empty bag on the floor, gasping from the sheer blood-lust ravaging her body.

"What now?" Seras asked her master. Alucard shifted his feet, still watching Wynter. "Now, we wait and see if my theory is correct," he said.

Walter had placed the bag of blood he'd brought into the ice bucket on the table. He watched with mild anxiety written on his face.

Wynter clenched the side of the bed, staring at the floor and apparently waiting for something, her face expectant, but at the same time hopeful. Seras watched with baited breath.

Suddenly, Wynter let out the grisliest moan Seras had ever heard, a mixture of frustration and misery. The female vampire clamped her hands over her mouth, getting to her feet shakily and stumbling over to the corner of the room. Seras jumped up and followed her, clasping her shoulder anxiously. "Wynter, are you all right? Wynter?"

Alucard followed her with his eyes, his brow furrowing into a frown. Wynter sank to the floor, doubling over. Seras realized what was about to happen and hurriedly grabbed Wynter's long hair, holding it back out of her face and looking away as Wynter was forced to regurgitate what she'd just eaten not two minutes ago. The transfusion blood mixed with Wynter's blood splattered to the floor, the sound echoing sickeningly off the room's walls.

Wynter coughed violently, vicious shudders wracking her body as she did. Seras, not knowing what else to do, but feeling like she had to do something, rubbed Wynter's back softly.

"Now I believe I understand," Alucard said quietly, moving over as Wynter collapsed against Seras, exhausted and her strength gone. Seras glared at Alucard as he knelt down and gently lifted up his former apprentice in his arms, moving and laying her down on the bed.

"Master, why did you make her do that when you knew what would happen?" Seras yelled.

"I had to be certain, Police-Girl, and now I am," Alucard answered plainly. "Wynter," he called, "Wake up. I need you to do one more thing," he said.

Wynter moaned weakly and opened her eyes. They were glazed over and dull. Her body, despite being a vampire's and nearly indestructible, was being put under immense stress from both the lack of nourishment and the strain of forcing out whatever nutrients she put in.

"Open your mouth," Alucard instructed firmly, "I'd like to have a look at your fangs,"

Wynter did so without question. Alucard knelt down, deftly reaching out and tapping one of her fangs lightly with his finger.

Walter came over from his place beside the table, not a bit shaken by what he'd seen. He pulled a miniature flashlight from his pocket and held it to Alucard.

"I know you can see perfectly well at night, Alucard," Walter said, "But a little extra never hurt,"

Alucard smiled and took it. "Thanks," he said. He switched it on and pointed the beam to Wynter's fangs, glistening in the light. He ran his finger along the upper right fang, frowning.

"Walter," he said, "When she was brought down here, she was given blood through an IV, right?" he said.

"Yes, sir. Two transfusion bags were inserted. But I'm guessing from the amount of blood over there that those two bags, that third one and whatever blood she still had has all been rejected," he said, glancing at the grisly puddle of blood on the floor.

"I see," Alucard said. "I think I get it now."

He peered closely at Wynter's fangs and then mumbled something to himself before switching the flashlight off and getting to his feet with a sigh. "I see what's happening," he said, "It's called Viper's Fang. It's a rather rare curse amongst vampires that remains dormant until the body activates it, usually upon the first or second feeding."

"What does it do?" Seras asked.

"I'm in agreement; I've never heard of anything like this," Walter said.

Alucard pushed his glasses back on. "Approximately one in ten Nosferatu created is given this unique ability. That's quite rare when you consider how few true vampires are created at any given time," he explained. "When a vampire drinks the blood of a human virgin of the opposite sex, the victim, if willing to any extent, becomes a vampire. This ability has no effect on that aspect whatsoever. However, when a vampire drinks from a victim who doesn't meet these standards, they turn into ghouls," Alucard said with a morbid smirk. "Now, when a vampire possessing Viper's Fang bites a human who doesn't meet the standards, instead of turning into a ghoul, their body becomes infested with a type of poison that kills whatever else feeds off it. Furthermore, the vampire in question is then forced to vomit up the blood he or she has drunk. For this reason, very few Viper's Fang carriers live more than a year, at least."

"But how is this possible?" Seras asked.

"Viper's Fang is the name given in reference to a special secreted venom in the fangs, much like a snake's. It's an unusual genetic mutation that has plagued our kind for centuries. The venom acts like ipecac and when swallowed, brings out the same effect in vampires as it does humans. Because of this, carriers of the Viper's Fang were hunted down by humans for their fangs, which were then used for medicinal remedies,"

"So that's why you said that a carrier of the Viper's Fang wouldn't likely last a year," Seras said, turning to look at Wynter, who'd long since passed out. Seras gasped suddenly and whirled to Alucard, "But if that's the case, how was she able to live for a hundred and fifty-two years?"

Alucard turned to Wynter. "I would suspect that for some reason, the Viper's Fang opened rather late. It steadily gets worse over time, eventually making it virtually impossible for the carrier to drink unless special measures are taken,"

"And what would those be?" Walter asked, before his eyes widened and he frowned, scratching his chin, "Wait, I'm assuming that much like the human eye's tear ducts, Wynter's fangs will have a special duct in each of them them that exists for the sole purpose of creating this venom. Am I correct?"

"On the dot, Walter," Alucard said with a lopsided smirk. "I've heard of only once where it was tried, but it is possible to remove the venom ducts surgically. But seriously, who'd want to operate on a vampire? This is why Viper's Fang is one of few things that can kill a vampire and why it's one of the few things we fear in turn," Alucard said with a leer. Why he took such perverse pleasure in things like this, Seras doubted she'd ever know.

"Poor Wynter," Seras said quietly. "And here I was having a hard time just swallowing the blood. She couldn't even drink it, period."

"Should I speak to Sir Integra about Wynter's condition?" Walter asked Alucard.

"That would be best. Until something can be done about it, she's going to need more blood as soon as possible," Alucard replied. Seras was sure she detected some faint worry in his voice. She turned to Wynter who, having passed out again, lay as though dead with her hair covering her eyes.

"Master, is there anything I can do for her?" Seras asked him.

"Why don't you keep her company? The two of you are sisters, after all," Alucard said with a smile. Seras frowned in confusion. "That may be true, but you're her master too. Shouldn't you stay with her?"

Alucard's eyes couldn't be easily seen through his glasses, so Seras had no idea what he was thinking about as he regarded the two of them blankly. Then, without a word, he turned and moved noiselessly toward the door. "I'll speak to her about this," he said to Walter.

"All right then, I'll arrange for three more transfusion bags to be brought in," Walter replied. "Ms. Victoria, are you going to stay with Ms. Wynter?"

"Yes," Seras answered, "After what she's been through, I think she could use a little company,"

"Very well, then." Walter said with a slight bow of his head. He took his leave and Seras was left alone with her strange older sister. Wynter moaned in her sleep, her eyes twitching beneath the lids. Seras watched curiously, wondering what she was dreaming about.

"Hel...ene," Wynter whispered faintly. Seras blinked and sat back, a little surprised.

"Helene? Who's that?" she asked more to herself than to the unconscious Wynter. She decided she'd ask Wynter about it once she woke up. In the meantime, she sat with her back leaning against the frame, pulled her knees up with a sigh and closed her eyes. Soon, Walter would be back with the blood and an IV. Wynter was in for a long haul.


	5. Five

A/N: Here you go, MarzBarz, for being so supportive. ^_^ Here, everything begins to reveal itself. I'm also planning a sequel to this story, as it's actually already written. That's how I've been able to update so quickly.

Five

"Viper's Fang?" Integra said.

"As I told Walter and Seras, it's a rare phenomenon in vampires, cause unknown," Alucard explained, "Apparently, Wynter's case of it blossomed late,"

Integra frowned, bracing her chin on her folded hands in thought. "Is there anything to be done for it?" she asked.

"Only one vampire was ever actually treated for this anomaly, but I failed to mention that he was killed soon after anyway. I'd think that surgically removing the venom ducts in Wynter's fangs would rid her of the effect," Alucard said thoughtfully.

"Is it even safe to operate on a vampire?" Integra asked incredulously.

"Who knows? But it's obvious that if nothing is done, she'll likely die anyway," Alucard said with a shrug. Integra scowled. "You sure are coldhearted about your own fledgling, Alucard," she growled.

Alucard smirked and adjusted his glasses, "Wynter's a big girl; she can take care of herself," he said with a smirk, "She's lasted over a hundred and fifty years, right?"

"Only because her condition started late," Integra countered irritably, appalled that Alucard could be so incredibly insensitive when he chose to be. "I'm almost willing to go so far as to call it a miracle that it got worse just as I sent you out to track her down. Is there any way to get her feeding without the venom getting in the way?"

"The venom is released from the fangs automatically whenever she bites into something. When the blood is given intravenously, the venom doesn't have a chance to enter the blood and can therefore be absorbed into her body normally,"

"I see," Integra said, "I suppose I could speak with Dr. Trevelion. He might be willing to perform the operation to remove the venom ducts. But this will probably be the first surgery performed on a vampire, so we can't be sure what will happen, Alucard. But, seeing how little you seem to care what happens to Wynter, I don't suppose it matters to you,"

Integra expected him to respond with his usual sarcastic retorts or even some kind of cynical drawl she was so used to. What she didn't expect was for him to remain silent, simply turning his head away. Right then, she knew she'd gone too far. Sometimes she forgot that Alucard's kind were just as intelligent as the humans. She also understood that occasional bonds formed between members of the undead population were often stronger than many formed by humans. She also sometimes forgot that Alucard wasn't an ordinary vampire.

"Alucard," she said quietly, concernedly, "You _do_ care, don't you?"

"No, it's like you said, Integra, it doesn't matter to me in the slightest," he said, looking up with his usual smirk. But Integra's shoulders sagged and she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Please don't lie to me, Alucard," she said wearily.

"You malign me, master. Why would I lie to you?"

"To save face, of course."

Alucard just chuckled dryly before dissipating into a thick cloud of mist and disappearing from her sight. Integra cocked an eyebrow in surprise. Normally, he just warped through the wall when departing a room. She sighed heavily, lighting a cigar. She knew that he'd never admit aloud how worried he actually was. She'd known that same thing when she stabbed through her own throat after being bitten by a rogue vampire and had to endure a critical surgery. The doctor had told her that Alucard hadn't left her side until he heard that she was going to be okay. He'd stood for eight, nerve-wracking hours, unmoving, not speaking, just watching calmly, but anxiously as they fought to save her life. Alucard was different from other vampires. Integra knew this. She knew this from the unusual bond they'd shared since the moment he swore loyalty to her. She could sense a small, almost miniscule part of him that was afraid of the day when he knew she'd die. That small part of the vampire contained what little humanity he still retained over the centuries. This fragment of humanity made him fear one thing, only; being left behind.

Integra knew he worried about Wynter. She couldn't blame him. For one reason or another, something had gone wrong with them when Wynter was still a young vampire. She wasn't sure what, but whatever it was had left a deep scar on her servant.

So what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't even guess. One thing was for sure, if Wynter was going to help them figure out this mess growing in England, they needed to do everything in their power to help her.

//ooo//

Alucard found Walter attaching another transfusion bag to Wynter when he arrived to check on her. Seras sat on the bed beside the vampire and glanced up at his approach. "Master, you're back,"

"How is she?" Alucard asked.

"Better," Walter replied. "I know this is a bit of a moot point, but she's gaining a little color, now,"

Wynter was undead, so she didn't necessarily look healthy, but for a vampire, she didn't look unhealthy, either. Alucard slowly made his way over, staring down at her. Wynter looked peaceful as she slept, having finally been able to relax a little more with the new blood.

"She finally stopped dreaming about an hour ago," Seras said, "She kept murmuring peoples' names,"

"What names?" Alucard asked.

"Helene and Tobias," Seras said in bewilderment. "She never woke up, though, so I can't ask her about them."

Alucard showed slightly recognition on his face. "Ah, Helene was the name of her younger sister as a human," he said, "I'm sure she told you about her memories,"

"Yes, she said that they were erased after you changed her," Seras said.

"I don't know what caused that. Helene may have been a subconscious memory. As for Tobias, I have no idea,"

"That reminds me, Alucard," Walter said as he checked the IV line attached to Wynter's arm, "You and Wynter are still connected, yet you haven't met in over a hundred and fifty years. If I may ask, why hasn't she freed herself from you?"

Alucard pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and turned around, moving to the door.

"She was taken away from me," he said simply. He swept out of the room before they could ask what he meant.

"Taken away from him?" Seras repeated in confusion and worry. "What did he mean by that?"

"I wonder...," Walter muttered, glancing at Wynter. His gaze landed on her right arm and he frowned in puzzlement. But he didn't say anything more.

//ooo//

One week passed.

Wynter now rested, recovering from the surgery planned four days prior to remove the venom ducts from her fangs. As predicted, Dr. Trevelion had been doubtful, but he'd managed to disconnect them and remove them without too much hindrance. Now, he sat outside the one-way mirror looking into the room where Wynter was recovering. He had Integra and Alucard across the table from him, both of them looking down at a tiny object sitting in a petri dish in front of them.

Dr. Trevelion sighed and picked it up between his thumb and forefinger. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

Integra reached forward and took it gently. "It appears to be some kind of microchip," she said.

"Precisely," Dr. Trevelion said wearily, "Walter asked me to X-ray her arms on a hunch. I didn't say anything about it beforehand until I could be sure, but I trusted Walter's judgment. That's a homing chip. Whatever happened to that girl, she was marked for tracking."

"So you found this in her arm," Integra muttered, peering sternly at the little chip. It was barely bigger than her little fingernail.

"Yes. It was difficult to remove, but we managed to get it out without causing damage to her hand. Of course... now that I think about it, she's undead, so she probably could have regenerated." he said awkwardly.

"You're used to operating on humans," Alucard pointed out. "It's no surprise you treated her like a human patient."

"I'll take this to Walter in the meantime," Integra said, "Perhaps we can trace it back to its source. Alucard, I've sent Seras on an investigation mission in London to try to find out more about our wayward vampire, so I want you to stay with Wynter for the time being until she gets back. No back talk, either, she's your fledgling so you need to take care of her. Thank you Dr. Trevelion," Integra said with a nod of her head.

She and the doctor both left through different doors, leaving Alucard alone. He'd been given a direct order by Integra, so he figured he didn't have much choice. But it wasn't easy being around Wynter, not after what happened. And now the microchip? The thought of what all might have happened to her was enough to make his blood boil.

He went inside the room where she was recovering. She was the first vampire in recorded history to undergo a lifesaving surgery and survive. She still had to use an IV to get the blood she needed, but once she healed in a few days, she'd be able to eat again.

He took a seat at the foot of the bed, folding his arms and staring at the floor. He'd cast occasional glances at her, but every time he did, he always remembered. He wondered if she'd forgive him? Did she even still remember what happened? He wondered what she'd gone through after that, what those monsters had put her through. It wasn't like it completely mattered anymore. She was still alive, even years later.

He froze up when he sensed her mind shifting rapidly all of a sudden. Was she waking up? Or was she just dreaming? He chanced a look over at her. She was only dreaming, her eyes moving rapidly beneath their closed lids.

"Foolish...no...no...." she muttered. "Tobias...."

He frowned. Seras had mentioned her mumbling that name in her sleep. He knew of Helene, Wynter's younger sister from back before he changed her. But the name Tobias was a mystery. Was he someone she met after she was taken?

"Don't...leave me," she whispered. This time, tears of blood had escaped from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. Alucard stared hard. He could absorb memories from blood and he was sorely tempted to find out what happened to her. The temptation was immense.

He carefully reached forward, brushing the blood from her eyes as gently as he could manage. Slightly wary, he raised the blood to his lips, closing his eyes as his tongue licked it from his hand. He was instantly hit with not only a memory, but a wave of hatred and emotion so intense, it almost made him as afraid as she'd probably felt at the time. Because it was such a minute amount, he caught glimpses;

Overhead lights and the feeling of being unable to move. Fogginess of the head and someone leaning over, saying something. Blazing sunlight glaring down into the eyes, being unable to escape its wrath due to chains. A searing, burning pain all over from something silver, and then a final glimpse of light as something was fastened over her eyes. With the blackness all around, he heard sounds from nearby, the shrill squealing of metal scraping metal and the sound of rushing wind. There was a voice calling her to come out from somewhere. That's when he heard Wynter's voice screaming in terror and fury, mixed with the unmistakable sound of gunshots.

Alucard opened his eyes, staring at his former apprentice. That tiny bit of blood had given him a slight insight into what she'd gone through, but it wasn't enough. Something else happened as well. But what?

He didn't spare a glance when the door opened and Walter and Integra stepped in, closely followed by Seras Victoria. She must have returned only minutes before. She strained to see past them and finally hurried around them, moving beside the bed to peer down at Wynter curiously.

"She still hasn't woken up?" she asked.

"No," Alucard replied. Seras frowned when she saw Wynter's face. "Blood," she said wonderingly, "She's been crying in her sleep,"

"Some vampires tend to do that," Alucard said disinterestedly, getting up and putting his hands in his coat pockets. Integra paused beside Wynter's bed, staring down at her gravely. "We're having that chip examined to see if it can be traced," she said. "It should have some kind of store of data housed inside it."

"Chip?" Seras repeated curiously. Walter turned to her. "A tracking chip of some kind was discovered in her right arm," he explained. "For whatever reason, someone wanted to make sure she could be found if she ever got out of wherever she was when it was installed. Of course, until we find out the origins of the chip or until she tells us herself, we have no way of knowing."

He didn't notice Alucard's eyes flaming angrily behind his glasses. Integra, however, did. She didn't say anything, however and looked back at Wynter. "When she wakes up, we'll see if she can feed successfully. She'll have two days to completely recover before we brief her on the details. Alucard, keep doing whatever it is you were doing."

Seras gazed down at her 'older sister' curiously. When she was human, she'd been an only child and it was rather lonely. She was secretly excited that she had an older sister. She smiled and looked up. "Master, I can stay with her for a while," she volunteered. Alucard turned from silently arguing with Integra. "Are you sure you want to?"

"Yes, she is my older sister after all," Seras said, beaming. Alucard felt the hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. He turned quickly. "Do whatever you like, Police-Girl," he said.

Seras watched as they left and closed the door. She knelt on the floor beside the bed and began to braid Wynter's hair absently. "I'm excited for you to wake up, Wynter," she said, "I mean, you've been a vampire much longer than I have, but I think you're pretty cool. It's kind of funny, you're just like master is. You two even look alike and I'd swear you were his daughter. Hopefully you're not as sarcastic and devious as he is. But he's not really a bad guy, he's just, well, him, I suppose," Seras said, chuckling. "After all, he did save me and even though he's sometimes mean to me and refuses to call me by my name, he's good to me. I look up to him, you know?"

Wynter didn't move as Seras continued to tell her about her life at Hellsing.

"You're going to like it here, Wynter. There's never a boring day around here. Well, in our case, I suppose there's never a boring night. Master found you out in the daylight, so I guess you're like him and can go out in the sun. I'm pretty envious. I miss sunlight very much, but I chose this life so it's what happens, I suppose."

When she ran out of things from Hellsing to talk about, Seras reverted to telling Wynter about her old life in D-11.

"Eddy and Simon were a couple of clowns. It was them who got my nickname started. They called me Kitten because I'm so tiny and timid. Jack, now he was a character. He was like my big brother; in fact they all were. They all looked after me like a little sister. I hated to see them get hurt. I lost them all the night I met master for the first time."

She chuckled a bit at the memory, "I remember he saved me from a priest turned vampire or whatever he was. He gave me quite a scare, letting those ghouls kill him like that right in front of me and then regenerating a few seconds later."

Seras didn't realize at first that she'd been crying. She wiped her eyes and laughed. "Look at me, I guess I never outgrew the name Kitten after all, huh?"

"I guess not,"

Seras shrieked and jumped to her feet, staring wild-eyed at Wynter who gazed up at her blearily. Her bright red eyes had dulled down slightly from sleeping. She blinked.

"Good evening to you, too," she muttered wryly. She clacked her teeth together and winced, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Ow," she growled.

"Watch it, Wynter, you were released from surgery just hours ago," Seras said.

Wynter stared at her intently. "So it was a success?" she asked.

"Yup," Seras said, smiling, "You're no longer a carrier of the Viper's Fang. Oh, Sir Integra said to give you this when you woke up,"

She handed her a transfusion bag of blood. Wynter eyed it skeptically. "I don't know," she said. Seras pushed it into her hands.

"Don't worry; Dr. Trevelion is good at what he does. You should have no problem eating, now,"

Wynter sighed heavily and took the bag, removing the cap off the top and sucking it out through the tube cautiously. It took several minutes, but she drained the bag slowly. Then, she leaned back against the wall and waited. Seras watched her bemusedly. "You aren't going to throw up, you know," she said.

"I can see that," Wynter said, "But I'm so used to it, it feels weird knowing that I won't, now. Oh, how long was I asleep?"

"A few hours. Master stayed with you for a couple of hours and then I came in and offered to watch you. Oh, I did your hair for you. What do you think?"

Wynter reached around and grasped a fistful of her hair, pulling it over to her eyes. She smiled faintly. "It looks nice," she said. "Because of my wings getting in the way, I don't usually style my hair. Oh, that reminds me, do you have a comb?"

"For your hair?"

"No, for my feathers," Wynter said. Seras made a face. "Huh?"

"My feathers have to be kept clean or I can't fly," Wynter explained. Seras nodded. "I see. I may have one in my pocket here...uh, there! Here you go," she said, digging through her pockets and coming across her comb. She gave it to Wynter who smiled. "Thank you."

Wynter scooted forward on the bed and reached behind her, undoing two straps on the back of her shirt. The top half of the fabric fell away, revealing two dark patches adorning her skin. Seras watched in amazement as the patches began to expand upward with a slight rushing sound, growing in density and size until they stretched nearly to the ceiling, a good eight feet, at least. Wynter sighed as she flexed them. "That feels good," she said. She folded them down again and crossed her legs. She pulled her right wing close to her and ran the comb delicately through the ebony feathers, catching any loose particles that may have gotten a foothold.

"They're pretty wings," Seras said in awe.

"Thank you. Someone else said that very thing to me a long time ago," Wynter said wistfully.

"Was it master?" Seras asked.

"No, someone else. Master never paid much attention," Wynter said, moving to the other wing before starting on the downy feathers.

Seras sighed, kneeling down and resting her head on her folded arms on the bed. "I'm so jealous; I wish I had wings like that," she said.

"It's difficult, Seras," Wynter said, "I have to be careful when and where I fly. I also have to be careful not to injure them in fights. I broke my right wing once and despite my regenerative powers, it's still not functioning properly, though it's tolerable."

She strained back trying to reach the down feathers closer to her back. "Damn it, I hate this part," she snapped. Seras giggled and got up, sitting down behind her on the bed and taking the comb from her. "Let me," she said. "I understand that this can't be easy,"

Wynter watched her warily from the corner of her eyes, feeling the teeth of the comb run gently through her feathers. Tiny nerves in her feathers allowed her to feel where the comb went and she found herself relaxing slightly at the slow, hypnotic monotony.

"Thank you, Seras," she muttered, remembering another time when someone else had offered to do the same thing for her.

"Your feathers are so soft," Seras breathed.

"You can take one if you want it," Wynter told her, "It's not like I don't have enough of them,"

"Oh, I couldn't," Seras said, "They're yours. I was just saying how pretty they are. I didn't know vampires could have wings like this,"

"It's different for every vampire. One of my familiars is a raven, so it's only natural I'd have wings,"

"Oh, I see," Seras said, "Master's must be some kind of dog, then,"

"I take it you've seen him in action," Wynter said dryly. Seras sighed and nodded. "Yes. It's creepy," she grumbled. "Just don't let Mr. Anderson see these or he'll think you're a fallen angel," Seras joked in reference to the Iscariot Organization's top priest/assassin.

"I think I know who you're talking about. Isn't he that maniacal exterminator for the Iscariot Organization?" Wynter asked.

"Yup, that's him," Seras said with a smile. "Have you had a run in with him before?"

"Yes, a few times. He's got some vendetta against me, that's for sure. I don't even know what I did to upset him so much; we passed each other on some random dirt road north of here and the next thing I know, I'm lying in a ditch on the side of the road with some kind of blessed knife stuck in my back," Wynter grumbled. Seras laughed and Wynter glared at her. "What's so funny?"

"Master has the same problem! You two are even more alike than I thought! You both have the same arch-rival!" Seras exclaimed through her hysterics.

"Don't remind me. I got my head chopped off twice because of him," Wynter growled, her wings shuddering rapidly. Seras's jaw dropped. "No way! Don't tell me you can regenerate like that, too?" she exclaimed. Wynter gave her a strange look. "Of course. Why? Can't you?"

"Absolutely not! If I got my head lopped off, I'd die!" Seras yelled.

"Really? You're a weird one,"

"Look who's talking."

"Look who's talking about who's talking,"

"Look who's talking about who's-"

"Cut it out, Seras, this could go on for awhile," Wynter grumbled, glaring back at her. Seras glared right back. Before the contest could go on for even ten seconds, both girls had dissolved into hysterical laughter. Seras sighed and resumed brushing Wynter's feathers, "This is fun, you know? You're the sister I never had as a human,"

"And you're like the sister I had as a human," Wynter answered. "You're almost just like Helene was, according to what Alucard told me. It's sad, but at the same time, it's comforting."

"I've heard you mention her name in your sleep. I suppose you must have recalled her a little," Seras said.

"Yeah, I've always talked in my sleep. Master never figured out why I lost my memories in the changing, but it can't be helped. What I lost can never be retrieved." Wynter mumbled.

"Well, if you stay here, we can always hang out. Hey! Maybe we could even share a room, what do you think?"

"That's if I stayed. I've been a nomad for a long time. I carry a pouch with me containing a pure handful of Marseilles soil. But assuming I chose to remain, that does sound like fun."

"Yeah! Because of what I am, a lot of the soldiers around here are too afraid to talk to me. But if you stayed, I wouldn't be so lonely anymore."

Wynter had fallen silent, however. "Hey," she muttered, "Seras, you just met me, but you treat me like one of your own. How do you even know I'm not dangerous?" she asked.

Seras frowned thoughtfully, pausing in the act of running the comb through Wynter's feathers, "I guess because you're master's other fledgling," she said.

"That's what makes me okay?" Wynter asked in surprise.

"Why not?"

Seras continued brushing Wynter's feathers while Wynter pondered what Seras had told her. She looked down at her hands, deep in thought. For a long time, she believed that being undead meant that happiness couldn't be found and for an even longer time than that, she'd known that she'd end up alone and stay that way. What if that wasn't true?

She wondered.

//ooo//

_He still recalled the day they'd met for the first time. Being resistant to sunlight had its advantages. These advantages he exploited whenever he saw opportunity to do so and get outside once in a while. While visiting Marseilles, he patrolled the town in the daytime as __nothing more than a well-dressed nobleman, hardly standing out except for his glasses, which were a bit on the odd side. He made his way to the town square, keeping an eye out for anything to clue him into his target's whereabouts. He was actually here on a personal mission; to find a vampire who'd been getting a little too rambunctious as of late._

_ Instead, he found her._

_ "Mister, watch out!"_

_ Alucard whirled in time to snatch a large stone out of the air seconds before it met its mark in his face. The young whelp that threw it as a prank froze in horror at the unnatural reflexes. The young red-haired child standing beside him drew a deep breath and jumped up and down, "Yes! You missed him, Etienne! You are going to be in so much trouble!"_

_ The boy yelled and took to his heels and flew off in the direction of the back alleyways as Alucard made his way over, the stone still clenched tightly in his hand. He paused in front of the child who stood grinning up at him. Her dress was muddy and torn along the hem and her face was covered in mud as well. He knelt down to her level. "Why are you so dirty?" he asked._

_ "Etienne threw a bag of mud at me a short time ago," she said, her language surprisingly developed for a girl her age. He judged her to be about seven or eight._

_ "What's your name?" he asked with a smile._

_ "I'm Helene. Helene Du Beaumont." the child said proudly, curtsying. "What's yours?"_

_ He smiled and tipped his hat. "I'm Alucard. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Helene Du Beaumont," he said. "Are you all alone, here?"_

_ Helene rocked on her heels, frowning worriedly. "I was with my sister, but she's disappeared and I can't find her," she said. "I have to find my sister before Etienne comes back to bully me."_

_ "I'll see to it that he leaves you alone," Alucard said, "Shall I help you in your search?"_

_ Helene's eyes lit up. "Would you really?" she exclaimed._

_ "Of course. Where did you last see your sister?" Alucard asked her._

_ "She was around here somewhere, where we are now," Helene said, spreading her arms out around her._

_ "Well then, why don't we simply wait here, instead?" Alucard suggested, "This way, if she returns here, we're more likely to spot her,"_

_ Helene nodded. "Thank you, mister Alucard, sir," she said politely._

_ Alucard sat on a bench nearby, watching Helene play with the pigeons in the square. Now and then, she'd come over and sit next to him, chatting incessantly over things all children were interested in; toys, animals, school and the like. Outside of working, Alucard prided himself on his ability to meld with the crowd. Looking at him, you'd understand he looked a little odd, but you'd never expect him to be a vampire._

_ Helene squealed in delight as a flock of pigeons took off around her in a flurry of feathers. At the same moment, someone approached rapidly from the east side of the city._

_ "Helene! Helene, there you are! I've been searching everywhere!"_

_ Helene and Alucard both turned as a young woman hurried up, out of breath and clearly relieved to find the child safe. She wore an elegant everyday dress and shawl, both colored crimson and saffron. Her long, raven hair was held back and tied stylishly so that it hung freely down her back in cascading waves that glinted in the sunlight. She gathered Helene up in her arms and sighed, "You scared me, Helene." she admonished gently._

_ "I was fine. Etienne started bullying me again, sis, but then my new friend mister Alucard res-res-uh, saved me," Helene stammered, smiling. She struggled down out of her sister's arms and pulled her over. "See? He's right here! See? See?"_

_ "I see him, Helene," the girl laughed, pulling free from her sister. She smiled at him, "I thank you very much for helping my sister, and for watching her while I searched. My name is Genevieve Du Beaumont," she said, curtsying low. Alucard tipped his hat, smiling._

_ "It was no trouble, Ms. Beaumont," he said. He was relieved to see that she spoke English well enough. As old as he was, he'd never completely mastered the French language._

_ "I hope she wasn't too much of a bother," Genevieve said apologetically. Helene yanked at her dress, lower lip jutting out. "I was not a bother!" she protested. She 'humphed' and yanked away from Genevieve, running back over to play with the pigeons. Genevieve sighed and shook her head. "That girl. Honestly, sometimes she drives me insane," she muttered. She turned back to him, "You said your name was Alucard, yes? Forgive me, I didn't want to say this in front of Helene, but would you mind telling me why your teeth look so odd?"_

_ Here, Alucard grew quiet and tilted his head slightly. He lowered his glasses slightly, peering at her over the frames. Her green eyes widened at the sight of his blazing red eyes. He opened his mouth slightly, allowing her to see the sharp fangs more closely. Her hand flew to her mouth in shock, but she calmed quickly, clearing her throat. "I see," she said, "I am quite surprised. I never expected to see you here, especially at this hour," she said, extending her hand slightly into the sunlight._

_ "I came here on a personal mission to locate another vampire I intend to kill. Unless you are this vampire, you have no reason to fear me," he reassured her._

_ "Oh, I could see that you don't intend to harm my sister or me," she said smiling, "If you did, you wouldn't have gone to the trouble of reuniting me with Helene. I'm afraid I was distracted by something and lost track of her,"_

_ "What could be so distracting that you lose your sister like that?" Alucard asked, amused. She blushed slightly and brushed her hair back behind her ears. "I was speaking with my fiancee, Jean," she admitted. "He's always so kind to me, I just enjoy being with him,"_

_ Alucard smiled warmly, "A first love?" he ventured and continued when she nodded, "Ah, yes, as I recall, the first is always the sweetest," he said._

_ "True words," she agreed, "We're due to be married in a couple of months, just in time for the spring,"_

_ "I congratulate you, then," Alucard said._

_ "Thank you. And, I know this is sudden, but I am truly grateful for your help today. Who knows what might have happened to Helene if you hadn't been there. Therefore, as a token of my deepest appreciations, would you care to attend as a guest?"_

_ "I am not so sure that is wise," Alucard said, "Considering the circumstances,"_

_ "I understand. I apologize," Genevieve said quietly._

_ "I appreciate the offer though and it is thanks enough. Now, I'll be going, then," Alucard said._

_ "Won't you at least say goodbye to Helene?" Genevieve called after him._

_ "No, I'm in a hurry," Alucard said calmly. He waved without looking back. "Perhaps before I leave Marseilles, I'll say hello again,"_

_ "Be sure to," Genevieve replied. She turned back to Helene, still running about and chasing the pigeons. She stood off a distance, enjoying the warm spring sunshine. That's when it occurred to her; how was a vampire able to be out in the sunshine in the first place?_

//ooo//

Alucard hadn't been seen for a while. Even Integra wasn't sure where he was, but she didn't try to summon him. Upon questioning her out of worry for her master, Seras received this answer in response;

"Once in a while, Alucard becomes gloomy and irritable. At times like this, I believe it's best to leave him alone to figure it out himself," Integra said.

Seras wasn't satisfied, seeing how two days had passed and there was no sign of the vampire. She forced herself not to worry, however and spent her time with Wynter in the shooting range, where Walter was getting her accustomed to using firearms for her future work with Hellsing. Up until now, Wynter had only ever relied on her own physical strength and agility to out-maneuver opponents. She'd already learned the hard way not to touch the bullets she'd be using.

"Damn, we're fighting with these? These did _not_ exist in my day," Wynter mumbled, sticking her singed fingers in her mouth. Walter set another magazine down on the shelf. "We've used silver in our fights against vampires for centuries, but only in the last few decades have we been converting it into bullets," he explained. "I remember it took Alucard months to get used to the idea. I'm afraid he's not the best at conforming to radical change."

They both looked up as Seras approached. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, Seras," Wynter greeted. "Are you here for firearms training, too?"

"No, I was actually wondering if either of you have seen my master,"

"Not for a couple of days," Walter said, "But he'll turn up. He's around here somewhere."

He refocused his attention on Wynter, handing her the gun. "I'd like to test your skill level, first. Just aim to the best of your ability and fire," he said. Wynter took the gun, holding it first in her left hand and then in her right, finally selecting her left hand as her dominant hand. She took her stance, aimed and then fired off thirteen rounds in rapid succession, sending the echoes of the blast reverberating all through the facility. She lowered her gun, took out the used magazine and inserted a fresh one with no instruction, aiming the gun again and firing thirteen more rounds in the same manner. Seras watched, gaping in amazement while Walter just frowned.

Wynter lowered the gun again and set it on the shelf, turning to look back at them. Her face was grim. "I don't know how well I did, but hopefully this will give you some insight into how good I'll be with a gun," she mumbled. Walter made his way over to look out at the target. He had to struggle to hide his surprise. He adjusted his glasses and then whirled.

"Ms. Wynter, are you certain that Alucard never taught you to use a gun?" he asked, his voice strained. Wynter shrugged. Walter sighed and Seras hurried over to have a look for herself. She yelled in alarm and her eyes bugged out of her head. "I don't believe it! Every single shot hit dead on in either the heart or the head!" she shrieked. "Wynter, that's amaz-" she started to say as she turned. But Wynter was gone and Walter shrugged his shoulders. "She just disappeared," he said. Seras hummed, slightly concerned.

Wynter went outside. It was dark out, but she could see just fine in pitch blackness. That was the first time she'd handled a gun, yet it came to her naturally. There was no possible way for her to have previously known how to use a weapon like that. None that she knew of anyway, from what little she could remember about her past. She sighed heavily and folded her arms, enjoying the breeze rippling through her long hair. If she wanted to, she could just escape right now. It wasn't like they could stop her; Alucard was missing in action for the time being and Seras was still too incompetent to catch a vampire who'd been alive for a century and a half. Wynter was fond of Seras, but a small part of her was insanely angry and jealous that she'd been replaced over the last few dozen years. Her rage at this knowledge began when she ran into Madeline, killing her the minute she realized who and what she was. The realization that Alucard was no longer her master came with meeting Madeline.

"It isn't fair," she muttered into the wind, "It just isn't fair,"

A/N: What do you think? I had so much fun writing this story!! I've never written such complex character relationships before. Maybe I need more practice.


	6. Six

A/N: Normally, I take much longer to reveal the big past secrets. But this story is actually very long and realizing who Wynter really was was only half the battle. There's actually a lot left to this story, as well as its possible sequel.

Six

_With a horrible crack, the rafters above her began to collapse inward. Genevieve screamed and grabbed Helene, throwing herself aside as the flaming debris crashed down around them, setting the floor ablaze. Helene started crying in terror as Genevieve struggled to her feet, gazing across the burning room at the dark, looming shape feeding on the corpse of their mother._

_ "Jean," she whispered in despair. She turned Helene away from the awful sight and stumbled over to the coat room at the bottom of the stairs. She opened the door and shoved Helene inside it. Helene turned frightened eyes at her sister as she smiled down at her._

_ "Stay in here, Helene," she said, "I'm going to get help,"_

_ "No, Genevieve! You'll be caught and eaten too!" Helene wailed, a fresh eruption of tears appearing in her eyes. Genevieve stroked her sister's forehead, "I'll be fine. Take care of yourself, Helene," she whispered. She gave her one final, sad look and shut the door, just as the ghoulish form of Jean finished with her mother's body, turning to Genevieve. It stumbled toward her, wailing an unearthly moan. Genevieve tried to dash toward the door, but was quickly blocked by another ghoul, her father. She backed up against the closet where Helene hid, staring them all down gravely, un-shed tears stinging her eyes and fogging up her vision._

_ "Papa, Jean, no," she whispered, "Jean, don't you recognize me? It's Genevieve, remember?" she begged silently. They continued to stalk closer, reaching blindly out to grab her. Genevieve heard Helene sniffling inside the closet as she backed as far into the wooden door as she could go. She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered._

_ "Stop! That's far enough, you two,"_

_ The ghouls of her beloveds stopped, growling and glaring up the stairway. Genevieve turned first in surprise and then in anger, glaring up at the familiar person standing at the top of the stairs. The light from the flame illuminated his dark green cloak, his half-length black hair tied back and the flames flickering in the reflection in his glasses._

_ "Louis!" she snapped. "So you were behind all this?"_

_ "Yes, my dear Genevieve," the tall vampire said, descending the stairs and smiling at her. His black hair covered his eyes somewhat, but through it, she could make out the evil redness lurking there, "You see, Genevieve, I control your dear father and fiancee, now. They do my bidding, whether you like it or not,"_

_ "I thought you were my friend, Louis," Genevieve snarled. "How long have you been a vampire?"_

_ "Forever, my dear Genevieve," Louis said smoothly. He waved the ghouls back as he approached. Genevieve stepped back toward the window, groping behind her for anything she could use as a weapon. She prayed he wouldn't discover Helene hiding in the closet. Her fingers clasped around a sharp piece of rafter and she gripped it as tightly as she could, silently yanking it away from its burning source. The flames licked her hand and she winced in pain, but largely ignored it, keeping her eyes trained on her former friend._

_ "I always admired you, Genevieve," Louis said, "Even when you were a tiny child frolicking at your mother's feet, I admired you. I admired your will, your sharp wit and your quick tongue. I admired your strength and your subtle difference. I admired your eyes, as deep as the ocean and your hair as black as my lovely night sky. I became entranced with your kindness toward me, your soul a godsend from Heaven above and your beauty as everlasting as my life itself, a true blue diamond amongst thousands or ordinary crystals. I waited for the day when I could claim you as my own,"_

_ He said all this as he moved ever closer, reaching out for her as she strained away from him, glaring into his red eyes, "My Genevieve, I have been in love with you for as long as I have known you. I wanted you for my own, to fulfill your heart's deepest desires, to always wonder upon your unnatural graces. In pursuit of this wondrous fate, I asked for your hand in marriage. But you turned me down in favor of that!" he yelled, whirling to the ghoul of her fiancee, Jean, milling by the stairs and groaning ominously. Louis flicked his wrist, creating tendrils of shadowy mass flaming from his hand. These black, oozing tendrils morphed into daggers of darkness which he flung with precision accuracy at Jean's animated corpse. Genevieve shrieked in horror as the ghoul bellowed at the attack, crumpling to the floor in a __puddle of blood and dust. Genevieve clasped her hand over her mouth in horror at this terrible sight, oblivious to Louis approaching her swiftly, gathering her into his arms and pulling her close. He brought her face close to his, gazing deeply into her eyes filled with pain and horror._

_ "Don't be afraid me, Genevieve," he whispered, "I would never hurt you. If you had only chosen me, your family would not have had to suffer, so. I know that your precious sister is hidden away in the closet over there. Say you'll be mine forever and she'll live. I'll turn both of you into one of my own and the three of us will live happily forevermore," he murmured to Genevieve, lowering his head to brush his lips against the soft flesh of her neck. He felt her pulse pounding beneath the thin layer of skin and his fangs ached to bite her. He could practically taste her sweet blood._

_ "Well, Genevieve?" he whispered. As he spoke, the ghoul of her father lumbered over to the closet and ripped the door open, reaching in and yanking out Helene as she screamed in terror and struggled to get away. She saw her sister in Louis' arms and her eyes widened in alarm._

_ "Let go of my sister, you devil!" she shrieked. Louis just smirked, cupping the side of Genevieve's face with his hand and tilting her head back to gaze into her eyes. "Well, my love? Just say the word and she'll be released."_

_ Genevieve's eyes brimmed over with tears, "Oh Louis, how could I possibly live happily with you after what you've done?" she whispered. The fire crackling all through the house seemed to intensify right then as Louis' eyes blazed at the hidden meaning of her words. He scowled. "You leave me no choice," he snarled. Genevieve squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of tearing flesh and her sister shrieking shrilly. Her sobs came out in panicked, broken gasps of air and Louis pulled her close to him as the screams grew louder and more pained until finally, they ceased altogether. Knowing that she had nothing left, Genevieve stopped struggling. Louis lightly arched her head backward, opening his mouth toward her neck._

_ "I'm sorry," Genevieve whispered._

_ There was a sharp sound of impact of an object into a solid form. Blood cascaded from the wound in Louis' chest where Genevieve stabbed him with the splintered wood she still held. He choked in shock and pain, releasing her suddenly to grab at the stick protruding from his bleeding chest. Genevieve struggled to her feet and made a mad dash for the door. Louis' angry __screams followed her as she stumbled out the burning front door and fell down the steps into the street. Gasping for air, she felt along the wall through the darkness as she hurried along the dirt path leading toward the city from her house. She glanced back once she'd reached the treeline. Her house, weakened from the blaze, threatened to collapse in on itself, along with the bodies of her family members and hopefully, Louis as well._

_ "I'm truly sorry, Louis," she whispered. "Oh, Maman, Papa, Helene!"_

_ She stumbled along the path, praying that the next step would take her to the safety of Marseilles, fully aware that Louis probably survived and would pursue her. This thought sent her rational mind into a panic and she screamed._

_ "Help me! Someone! Help me, please!" she called desperately, "Anyone! Please, anyone! Help me!"_

_ She emerged from the trees and found the bridge leading over the river into town. It hadn't rained in weeks, so the river was somewhat dry. To her utter relief, she saw someone standing on the bridge, preparing to cross. Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, she hurried forward, calling out to the person, "Please! I'm begging you, I need help!"_

_ She tripped on the edge where the dirt path met wood and tumbled down hard, momentarily stunning herself. She reached up weakly and grasped the hem of the coat worn by the person standing there. "Please," she whispered, "I'm begging you for your help,"_

_ She gazed up blearily. The light from Marseilles shadowed his form but she could see the reflection of the strange glasses he wore. Remembering where she'd last seen them, she smiled just before she blacked out._

_ "Alu...card...."_

_ //ooo//_

_ Genevieve awoke to find herself in a darkened room. She was lying in a bed somewhere and it was still night out. She sat up slowly, feeling the ache all over from what happened. She forced back the urge to cry and sniffed lightly._

_ "Helene," she muttered, her voice broken._

_ "I'm glad to see you're awake,"_

_ Genevieve started at the sudden voice and turned to see someone sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. Her heart pounded furiously, but she calmed when he turned around, revealing his face in the moonlight drifting inside from the window._

_ "Alucard," Genevieve said quietly. "So I wasn't dreaming; it was you,"_

_ "I've seen humans die from fear before. I assumed you'd be one of them once I saw the condition you were in," he said, getting to his feet and studying her. "Can you tell me what happened?"_

_ "Yes, but first tell me where I am," Genevieve said._

_ "This is the room of the inn I'm staying at while I'm here," Alucard explained, "Obviously, I have no real use for it, but my goal is to appear human and draw less attention to myself while I search for my target," he said with a leer._

_ "I see," Genevieve mumbled. "In that case, I think I found your target,"_

_ Alucard raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? What makes you say that?"_

_ "His name is Louis Von Brunswick. He's a close friend of mine, or at least, I thought he was," Genevieve muttered. She whirled to him, her eyes wild with pain, "Alucard, he slaughtered my family tonight! I didn't know he was a vampire until tonight. He asked me to marry him and I turned him down, saying I was engaged to Jean. He killed Jean, Papa , Maman and now he's killed Helene, too!"_

_ She hunched into a ball, sobbing hysterically. Alucard said nothing, just watched her blankly. If her story checked out, then this Von Brunswick man was the vampire he'd been searching for. But by now, he'd probably already fled the coop for elsewhere. Either that, or he was out searching for Genevieve._

_ "Did he bite you?" Alucard finally asked her. Genevieve raised her head, her eyes shining with tears. "What?"_

_ "I'm asking if he bit you,"_

_ "No, but he tried to. What would have happened if he had?" she asked._

_ "If certain circumstances were met, you'd have become a vampire like us," Alucard told her. Her eyes went wide in horror and she paled, contemplating what she'd just heard. "Is...is that right?" she mumbled._

_ "Yes. Seeing that you're still human, you still have a chance."_

_ Genevieve shook her head sadly. "No, I don't care. I can't forgive him for what he did to me. I can't live knowing that my family was slaughtered because of me,"_

_ "Don't be stupid," Alucard admonished roughly, "What do you think you could possibly do against him?"_

_ Genevieve's eyes blazed, "Nothing as I am, now." she muttered darkly. "I want revenge,"_

_ "You won't get it. As a human, you're notoriously weak and frail. If you found him, the chances are high that you'd be hurt, violated or even killed," Alucard argued._

_ "I don't care!" Genevieve yelled. "I trusted that bastard and how does he repay me? By killing everyone I love because I turned him down! I can't forgive him! I'll never forgive him!"_

_ She flung back the blanket back and jumped up to face him. "You're a vampire, too! I want you to change me," she declared. Alucard froze up, glaring at her in disbelief through his glasses. He smirked. "Give me one good reason I should," he taunted._

_ Genevieve clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, sighing heavily. "I have none," she admitted, "But I'm ready to do anything I have to to get revenge against him for what he's done to me! What do you want? If I can get it, I will. If it's within my power to accomplish, I'll do it! I don't care what it is, I just want revenge!"_

_ Slightly taken aback by her show of will, Alucard reached up and removed his glasses, staring down at her studiously. She was no longer the gentle young woman he'd met the day before in the square._

_ "Tell me something," he said, "Even with the loss of your family, you're still young. You're beautiful and kind and could probably find someone else with relative ease. If you became one of us, you could never go back. Tell me how being a vampire would change things,"_

_ "It probably wouldn't. But I just don't care. I loved Jean more than anything and now, he's gone, along with everyone else I treasured. I have nothing to left to live for. I have nothing except my desire for revenge eating away at me as we speak, Alucard. You saved me tonight by bringing me here, when you could have just as easily allowed me to die in the street or allowed Louis to find me. I'll do anything to get my vengeance against him. So I'll ask you again; what do you want? From what little I have, I'll give you anything. To prove how much I care about __this, you can even have me if you want!"_

_ To further his shock, she actually began undoing the ties of her dress. He grabbed her hand and stopped her while she glowered up at him with a determination and fire he hadn't seen in a human in two hundred years. From beneath the brim of his hat, his red eyes bore deep into hers. He understood her feelings._

_ "Stop, Genevieve," he said, saying her name for the first time, "You're forgetting that I'm not human. Bribery and extortion are human ailments."_

_ He released her arm and stared hard at her. She met his stare head on, refusing to back down. She knew he was testing her. Finally, he hummed and his eyes narrowed. "You're sure of your choice?" he said._

_ "Have I proven otherwise?" she hissed at him. He chuckled. "Touche," he said. He grew serious again. "I assume you're still a virgin, then?"_

_ "Yes," she said without hesitation. "Does it make a difference?"_

_ "Yes, it does. So then, you're absolutely willing to make the change from human to vampire?"_

_ "Yes," she answered. "Please do it,"_

_ "Very well, then," he said. He drew closer to her, pulling her into a tight embrace and tilting her head back, revealing the vulnerable flesh of her neck._

_ "It's not too late to turn back," he said._

_ "Do it." she replied. He lowered his head, opening his mouth and extending his fangs. He was surprised at himself for hesitating at first, but overcame whatever misgivings he had and decisively bit down on her neck. She gasped sharply at the sudden sting and gripped his arm. He could taste her desire for revenge in her blood, giving it a sweet, rich texture that he found irresistible. Through her blood, he saw all of the events that took place that night, all except for Louis' face. For one reason or another, she'd forgotten what he looked like. She went limp and he brought them both to their knees, continuing to drain her of her lifeblood. He could feel her life ebbing away slowly, knowing it was a matter of timing. Finally, when he sensed that she was close to death, he carefully pulled his fangs out and laid her body against the bed frame. He looked around for something sharp and, seeing nothing, rolled his sleeve back and jammed his arm against the sharp corner of the bed, opening a fair-sized gash in his wrist. He raised his hand to her mouth, allowing his blood to flow against her lips._

_ "Here," he said, "You have to drink a little of my blood or you'll simply die,"_

_ Genevieve moaned weakly, her lips parting ever so slightly. She only needed the tiniest amount. She swallowed a small bit and her head lolled downward. She slipped to the side and he reached out and caught her before she fell. He lifted her up in his arms and set her down on the bed, draping the blanket over her. He then sat down on the edge of the bed once again, to wait. She'd be out for a little while, but she'd gotten her wish._

_ When she woke up, she will have become a vampire._

_ A short while later, he heard her moaning in her sleep. He glanced at her and his eyes narrowed. She was waking up._

_ She opened her eyes. Like his, they were now bright, flaming red. All the green from before was gone forever. She blinked a few times and sat up wearily._

_ "Take it easy," he said, "Your body is still adjusting."_

_ "Uh...y-yes," she stammered. She leaned back against the pillow again, gazing up at the ceiling. She turned her head and focused her gaze out the window toward the city._

_ "It's a pretty night," she murmured._

_ "Yes, it is. You'll come to look forward to nights like this. They always seem to make our kind quite thirsty," Alucard said._

_ "I am right now. My throat is so dry, it's burning. But I guess I'm still too weak?"_

_ "For the moment. But that's what I'm here for,"_

_ "You'll help me?"_

_ Alucard smirked. "I'm your master, now. It's supposed to be my job to teach you to be a proper vampire. I'll soon show you to enjoy and savor the sweet taste of fresh blood, to revel in the thrill of the hunt itself and to abandon yourself to your instincts during the throes of battle. Don't forget, you asked me to change you. You'll want to become stronger and discover what kind of power you develop before setting out for revenge,"_

_ She sat up slightly, her head tilting in confusion. "Yes, I remember, but revenge for what exactly?"_

_ Alucard drew a short breath and froze. He turned to her slowly, peering at her suspiciously. "Revenge for the murders of your family members?" he said._

_ "My family members? I don't have a family. Do I?" she muttered, sitting up fully and gazing out at the city. Her eyes widened. "Wow, what a beautiful city. Where are we exactly?"_

_ Alucard couldn't believe it. He turned fully, staring at her in bewildered astonishment. He leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him, "Do you mean to tell me that you remember nothing?" he exclaimed._

_ "But nothing happened, master, so what is there to remember?" she asked._

_ He just couldn't believe it. He stood up, staring down at her in disbelief. "Do you remember your name?" he asked, grasping at straws._

_ She thought hard, chewing on her nails and squeezing her eyes shut. She clenched her new fangs together. "Yes," she gritted out, "My name is Genevieve, right?"_

_ He sighed in relief. At least she remembered something._

_ "Uh," she muttered, "Master? Is something wrong?"_

_ "It's nothing. Listen," he said, "Your name isn't going to be Genevieve anymore, all right?"_

_ "What? But why?" she exclaimed._

_ "For one reason or another, you lost every memory you had as a human when I turned you. The way I see it, you're better off not remembering anything. I'll think of a suitable name for you, so in the meantime, get some rest."_

_ He moved toward the door, but hadn't quite reached it when he felt her grab his arm. He turned slightly. She'd moved quickly, a rather impressive feat for a newborn vampire. She clung to his arm, fear written all over her face. "Don't leave me!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to be alone!"_

_ He detached her hand and gently pushed her back, "I'm only going to be gone for a little while," he said, "Just get some rest for now. We'll talk when I get back,"_

_ He stepped out and shut the door behind him. She was left by herself, staring after him and shaking fearfully. But she did as she was told and climbed back beneath the blanket, huddling into a ball and counting the seconds until he came back._

_ //ooo//_

_ A few hours passed before he returned. She heard him approaching and jumped up when he entered, carrying something in a burlap bag. Before he could react, she'd thrown her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "You're back!" she exclaimed._

_ At first, Alucard wasn't sure what on earth to make of this. After all, he'd told her he'd only be gone for a little while and that he'd come back. Well, he was back now and there shouldn't be this much cause for celebration from such a trivial event. But when he stopped to think about it, he realized that it wasn't all that trivial to her. After all, she'd lost everything but her name and her reason for becoming a vampire. She didn't remember anything else but him and so consequently, he'd become her world for the moment. He figured he'd better get used to it. They were going to be together until she could survive on her own. He gently pushed her back and made his way inside._

_ "I brought you something to practice on, as well as some new clothes," he said. He held up the burlap bag. It was moving. He set it down on the floor and handed her a smaller bag that contained new clothing for her. She took it and then peered down at the thing inside the bag._

_ "What is it?" she asked._

_ "Open it up," he told her. She bent down and pulled the bag open, revealing a large lamb laying there. It bleated and struggled to its feet. She gingerly reached out to touch it. "Um, Master? What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked._

_ "Bite it, of course. Drink its blood and feed yourself," he told her._

_ "What?"_

_ "Don't complain. Tomorrow I'm going to teach you to drink blood from humans. This is going to be too easy for you,"_

_ He hoped that with the loss of her memories, she'd have an easier time accepting her fate as a bloodsucker. He watched as she stared at the lamb and then grasped it by its forelegs, dragging it toward her. She clamped her hand over its mouth to silence it and then lowered her head to its neck. She opened her mouth and then hesitated. Alucard knew she'd seen the creature's eyes. Would her remaining humanity take over and prohibit her from feeding? Or would her new feral side take charge?_

_ He grinned and nodded in approval when she snarled suddenly and sank her teeth into the creature's thin throat. Thick, warm blood stained the soft wool. She recoiled at the taste of the blood in her mouth, disgust evident on her face._

_ "Swallow," Alucard commanded. She did so with great difficulty and then shuddered. "I don't like it," she muttered._

_ "I can understand. Don't worry; human blood tastes much better," he said, "But this is your first meal as a vampire and you need all the nutrients you can get. Drink every last drop,"_

_ She cringed and sighed, sinking her fangs back into the creature's throat. She clamped her eyes shut as she drew the lifeblood out of the lamb's body, forcing herself to take in every bit like she'd been told. Finally, she reached the end, the lamb's body no more than a dried up husk on the floor. Alucard smiled and nodded. "Good," he said._

_ "It tasted bad," she mumbled._

_ "Blood is an acquired taste. Tomorrow, you'll taste human blood for the first time. I assure you, it's much sweeter," Alucard said. "Get some rest. The sun is about to come up,"_

_ She climbed back beneath the covers while Alucard shoved the changing screen in front of the window to block out the sunlight in case she didn't turn out to be a Day Walker like him. He started toward the door again when he heard a small sound like a whine and a small bird at the same time. He glanced over at her. She was still laying down, but she was watching him fearfully._

_ "What's wrong?" he asked._

_ "Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone," she whimpered._

_ "I suppose you don't remember that I have a job to finish in this city," he grumbled._

_ "Please. Master?"_

_ He sighed. She looked like a lost child. He shook his head and came back over, sitting down on the edge of the bed and staring off into space. "I'll stay until you've gone to sleep," he said._

_ "You will?" she exclaimed._

_ "Yes,"_

_ She smiled and snuggled into the blanket. "Thank you, master," she whispered. She closed her eyes and sighed. He just watched her, wondering about the radical difference between Genevieve and this new girl, the one he'd created from the willful young woman the night before. He still needed to think of a name for her._

_ Then, he got it._

_ "Wynter," he said. She opened her eyes._

_ "Hm? What, master?"_

_ "Your name is Wynter," he said._

_ "Wynter?"_

_ "Yes,"_

_ She blinked and tried the name a few times on her tongue. She smiled and lay back down. "I like it," she mumbled. Within seconds, she was deeply asleep. Despite his promise to only remain until she fell asleep, Alucard stayed there a while longer. He sat just watching her sleep and thinking._

A/N: So what did you think? Does it work? I hope it does. I put a lot of effort into this.


	7. Seven

A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. I envision Wynter as being cool, a woman of few words, that sort of thing. I hope I get that point across in this chapter. Or at least something along those lines.

Seven

Like Integra predicted, Alucard showed up again a few days later and by this point, four new cases had appeared dealing with the irate fledglings. Integra had summoned Alucard and Wynter to her office. Wynter had been given a Hellsing uniform similar to Seras's uniform, but she adamantly refused to wear it. She said that she had no real place in Hellsing, so there wasn't any point. She stood before Integra wearing her usual outfit of black pants, black shirt with the slits cut into them to allow freedom for her black wings and black cloak draped over them. The only color on her was her red eyes. Her bangs hung low over them and Integra was both amazed and slightly disturbed by how similar she was to Alucard.

"First of all, from what I understand, your power is quite impressive, Wynter," Integra pointed out. "You seem to be more alike with Alucard than you originally let on,"

"It's just a coincidence," Alucard said, "I noticed that on her first day."

"I see. Well then, Wynter, do you understand the situation?"

"Yes, I do. There's a vampire creating fledglings constantly and at seemingly random intervals with physically and mentally similar people, then completely abandoning them moments after awakening to fend for themselves, resulting in an outbreak of ghouls across the country,"

Integra nodded in approval, "I'm impressed; you're quite well informed," she said. "And do you know why we sent Alucard to find you?"

"Because I'm likely the third most powerful vampire in England," Wynter said, "As well as the third oldest surviving vampire in England,"

Here, Integra raised an eyebrow.

"Third in both instances?"

"Whoever is causing this disruption is the second in both instances," Alucard said, filling in the blanks. "I'm well over five hundred years of age, whereas Wynter is only a hundred and fifty-two. Our little convict is somewhere between those two numbers,"

"Furthermore, I don't intend to let him stay at second," Wynter snarled. "I want nothing more than to return to my lonely lifestyle,"

Alucard smirked, peering down at her from beneath his hat. "You're beginning to sound like Helena," he muttered. Wynter scowled at him and turned away sharply.

"In the meantime," Integra interrupted, "These fledglings are getting out of control. While you were recuperating, we received word that a total of twenty vanished women, all the ages of nineteen, have reappeared as reanimated corpses. Obviously, our vampire has settled on an age from which to choose. Of these fledglings, only four are left. Alucard was able to track down and kill the other sixteen. The four remaining ones are the strongest of the lot and have hidden themselves amongst the populace of London's heart. Wynter, we want you to finish off these remaining fledglings, do you understand?"

"Yes, but why me? Clearly, Alucard is strong enough to take them down by himself. Why do you want me to handle such a petty job?"

Integra smirked. "Quite frankly, Wynter, I'd like to see you in action," she said, "I've seen what Alucard can do. But you are his first fledgling and I'd like to know whether or not you'll be of any use to us. Alucard tells me that of all his fledglings, you inherited the most power from him. So I'd like you to prove yourself to Hellsing by eliminating these vampires in a rather difficult situation; they won't leave London for fear of their own safety. I want you to destroy them without endangering human life,"

Wynter made a noise of disgust. "Jeez, you humans are all the same," she snapped, "You don't beat around the bush, do you, Integra," she growled.

"I'd watch it if I were you, Wynter," Alucard said slyly, "My master's temper is something to be feared even by me,"

"Watch it, _both of you_," Integra grumbled irritably, "Alucard, you're to accompany her, this time as backup."

"Understood, master," Alucard said. Wynter, however, didn't look too sure.

//ooo//

Wynter was allowed outside during the day due to her ability to withstand sunlight. But that day, she didn't feel like going out. Instead, she found herself sitting up on the roof until dusk fell. Now, because the sunlight's harsh rays were less dangerous to normal vampires, Seras Victoria could come out of relative hiding.

Looking back, Seras guessed that everything changed that very night.

"Hey!"

She turned at the sound of some of the new recruits over on one of the training grounds behind the main building. They'd set up a makeshift volleyball court. Seras wasn't sure where these guys were from, but she knew that volleyball was popular there.

"What?" she called.

"Hey, you're that creepy vampire chick, right? How about playing a last game with us?"

The boy who spoke, Seras was pretty sure was sweet on her. He was nice, but he took her current condition a little too easily for Seras's liking.

"No, it's okay," she said, holding her hands up defensively. His face crinkled in amusement, brushing a strand of red hair from his face as he started to laugh. "Hey, get this guys, she's scared she'll lose!" he crowed. Seras scowled. "I am not scared I'll lose, I just don't feel like playing!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, right. But then again, you are a girl, after all," the guy said. Seras then remembered his name was Wally Copperfield. She was about to reply when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned.

"Wynter?" she said in confusion as the elder vampire appeared beside her, eying the boys in an almost predatory manner.

"Seras," she said quietly, "Do you consider two against five unfair?"

"H-Huh?" Seras exclaimed. Wally and his friends eyed each other in amazement and Wally smirked, pulling his arm back and launching the ball at Seras. Wynter lashed out, struck it with lightning speed into the air, whirled and then punched it back at them, smacking Wally directly in the stomach and knocking him flat.

Seras just gaped at Wynter as she straightened up with a sigh. "Well, Seras?" she asked, completely monotone.

"B-But Wynter, I—" Seras stammered.

"Hey, it's not like it'll be a long game anyway," Wally sneered as he struggled to his feet, coughing, "It's almost curfew. Lets' say, first to seven points is the winner? How about it? I'll even let you serve first,"

He hurled the ball at Wynter. She caught the fast moving projectile without taking her eyes off Wally and his friends as they moved into position on the makeshift court. Wynter stepped back to the right corner of their side of the net while Seras just watched helplessly.

"Wynter," she complained. The elder vampire eyed her slyly, the corners of her mouth twitching, "Relax, Seras, everything will be fine. Just trust me. Do you know how to play?"

"Um, a little bit."

"Good. A little bit's all we need," Wynter said with a smile. "Lets' give these morons a demonstration of how fast we are, hm?"

Seras smiled in spite of herself and copied Wynter's slightly hunched stance, feet spread apart about shoulders width. Wynter backed up slightly, shifting the ball to her left hand. Her eyes flashed red and to Seras, everything seemed to move in slow motion as she tossed the ball into the air above her head, bringing her right hand back.

_Whack!!_

Wally and his buddies blinked in amazement as the ball zoomed past their heads, bouncing just within the boundary lines on their side of the court and rolled to a stop thirty feet away.

"Wha-what the hell?" Wally exclaimed. One of the guys behind him grew nervous; "I uh, think we're in trouble, guys," he muttered.

"What a bullet! That girl's dynamite!" another guy exclaimed in amazement. Seras blinked and turned to look at Wynter, standing with her hand resting on her hip, watching them blankly. "I believe that's a point for us," she said. "Our serve—again."

"F-Fine," Wally snapped, "But this time, Seras serves!"

"What!?" Seras exclaimed in shock. But she didn't have time to argue it as Wynter moved her into her previous position and took Seras's spot on the court. She caught the ball Wally threw at her and tossed it lightly to Seras, who looked about ready to throw up. Wynter smiled, "Do an underhand serve," she said, going through the motions and pantomiming an underhand serve. "Do that, just like I did. Throw your weight into the ball."

Seras assumed the position, eying the ball in her left hand and feeling the perspiration beading on her brow. "Wynter, maybe you should—"

"You can do it, Seras. Go ahead and give it a try," Wynter muttered encouragingly. Seras swallowed and then nodded to her. She pulled her arm back and swung it downward to hit the ball, launching it upward toward the other side of the court.

"Nice, Seras!" Wynter said as one of the guys on Wally's side dove to save it, enabling Wally to set it up for another teammate who jumped up, preparing to spike it. Wynter dashed forward, intercepting it and tapping it back over the net before any of them could retrieve it.

"Two points," Wynter declared, turning to Seras. She smiled. "Nice, Seras," she commented. "Ready to serve up another scorcher?"

"If you don't mind, could you do it this time?" Seras asked, laughing nervously. Wynter smiled and shook her head, moving to take her place. "Okay, we'll take turns," she said. She took the ball and tossed it up again.

Seras was soon able to see that Wynter could control the amount of power she forced into her serves. She could set up a farce that suggested a cannonball forced serve, but turned out to be a gentle dink once the opposite team's guard was down, or she could set up for a gentle tap and at the last second, launch the ball into the air with the force of a gunshot. When it came to digs and dives, Wynter was unstoppable. She'd throw herself down for the ball and catch it just before it hit the ground, allowing Seras to get it back up high enough for Wynter to get to her feet and spike it over in the blink of an eye. She played so gracefully that Seras almost considered it a type of fighting style for her. When she wasn't being called on to strike, Seras just watched her 'older sister' fight, slowly bringing Wally and his team into submission.

_Bam!!_

The ball struck the ground with precision force, halting the final score at 2/7, Wally's only two points made because Seras hadn't been able to return the ball in time. Wynter grinned and brushed her hair from her face. "Game, set and match, boys. That was more fun than I expected," she said as she wandered off the court to the bewildered stares of Wally and the other guys. Seras hurried after her, matching her stride.

"Wynter, that was amazing! Where did you learn to play like that?"

"I spent some time playing in local tournaments in another town, working off stress a few years ago. It's good because I can relieve tension without killing anything this way," Wynter replied.

"That was cool," Seras said, smiling. "I guess we showed them not to challenge you to volleyball, huh?"

"I suppose so," Wynter mumbled, smiling. Seras chuckled. "Hey, I know. Why don't we go hang out in my room?"

Wynter stared at her in confusion and slight apprehensiveness. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Why not? We're sisters after all," Seras countered lightly. She grabbed Wynter's arm and dragged her away toward the main building.

All the time the game had been going on, though, everyone had been unaware of an extra pair of eyes watching from the rooftops. Alucard followed them with his eyes as they disappeared around the corner. Then he turned, dissipating into mist as he went and vanishing to sight.

//ooo//

Despite being a vampire, Seras found that she could still have things like tea and such. She asked Walter if she could make some and after having gotten permission, brewed some ginger tea for herself and for Wynter. She took it back to her room and found Wynter looking at a photograph on the table. Seras approached, smiling sadly as Wynter looked up.

"Who are they?" she asked.

Seras picked up the photo and sighed. "They were my teammates from D-11," she said quietly, "They were all killed the night I met master. He got there in time to only save me. It was too late for them,"

"I see," Wynter said, "I'm sorry,"

"No, it's fine. I don't mind my new life too much, though it was extremely difficult to get used to. You and master make it seem so easy to be vampires."

"It takes time. Don't forget; the two of us are considerably older than you are," Wynter said, "My first few days were clumsy and chaotic. Because I couldn't remember anything, I was terrified of being left alone. I'm afraid I caused Alucard quite a bit of trouble with my anxiety. But he was patient with me and taught me everything I know. It's funny; there was a time when he was absolutely everything to me. All I ever wanted in life was to make Alucard proud of me. Despite my fear, I strove to be the best vampire, even better than Alucard himself, impossible as that is,"

She accepted the tea Seras handed to her and sipped it lightly. "But a dream is only beautiful because it remains a dream," she said quietly, "And my time with him will always be a precious memory,"

"Wynter, Alucard mentioned that you were taken away from him. Would you tell me what he meant by that?"

Wynter bowed her head slightly, her nail chipping a crack in the porcelain cup. "I'd rather not speak of it right now, if it's all the same to you, Seras. I'll tell you one of these days because you deserve to know after being so kind to me. But after meeting him again after so long, it's a little difficult right now. All I can say right now is that I was separated from him long before I was ready and before I'd drunk blood of my own will. Because of this, I doubt that I'll ever be able to free myself from him and expect to survive."

Seras stared at her in disbelief, cradling her cup in her hands. "You know, Wynter, Alucard is often mean to me, being a little harsh and refusing to call me by my name most of the time. I have to admit, for the most part, he terrifies me. But at the same time, he's...how do I put it?"

"Don't bother trying. I've tried to describe it too. Humans may portray it as love or as parental adoration. It's not one, it's not the other, but it's a strange mixture of both at the same time, while simultaneously neither. What we're trying to describe is the bond formed between master and fledgling servant and it's nearly impossible," Wynter said, grinning lopsidedly.

"That's right," Seras said, "As scary as he is, I can't imagine life without him,"

"That's good. I'm jealous, Seras," Wynter mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because the way it is now, there's no way Alucard would allow what happened to me to happen to you. As indifferent as he may pretend to be toward you, you can count on his protection if he deems that you truly need it."

"Wynter?"

Wynter sighed and finished her tea. "I know I just told you something different, but you deserve to know," she said bitterly. She paused, as though deciding where to begin.

"Wynter, what happened?" Seras pried gently. Wynter sighed again and looked away, a pained expression taking hold of her face, "An advanced scientific faction took us by surprise," she mumbled, "We were just outside France. I'd been a vampire for a little over a month by this time, but I already showed sufficient skill. I still relied on Alucard, though. I childishly told him that I was never going to leave and he allowed me to believe that. He told me that a time would come when I'd choose to leave of my own accord. One day, Alucard seemed a little distracted. He couldn't place what he was sensing. Right then, something huge shot out of the trees around us. Alucard didn't react quickly enough, having been taken off guard. Whatever that thing was, it cut his head off, incapacitating him. He'd already warned me in advance what happened should his head ever be cut off, so I knew he wasn't dead. But something was coming toward us. My last sight was him lying on the ground before something covered my eyes. My hands were bound and I was gagged because I'd started screaming for him to help me. I was dragged away from him and I never saw him again,"

She stopped talking and Seras felt her hands shaking. "Wynter," she stammered, "That...that's just...." she trailed off, too horrified for words. "But then, why couldn't he find you?"

"For some reason, our telepathic bond was severed and I was taken to an island off the coast of Japan. I assume he couldn't track my whereabouts because of this,"

"So, then what happened there?" Seras asked.

"I was put through experiments worse than torture. Special drugs were tested on me, often with horrific results. One time, I actually clawed out my own throat because of one and nothing was done to help me. They didn't even try to calm me down so I could regenerate faster. I was restrained with silver and whenever I disobeyed their orders and I was punished by being chained to the roof to sit in the sun for hours unending. Of course, the sun can't actually kill me, but prolonged exposure will cause me great suffering."

She reached back and pulled her hair away from the base of her neck, turning so Seras could see it. "This was my brand," she explained. It was similar in shape to the Chinese Yin and Yang, but with lines with barbed ends and two dots in the dead center.

"What does it mean?" Seras asked.

"I don't know. But anything brought to that place underwent branding and experimentation. The entire time I was there, I heard them saying how they wanted to dissect me alive, to take scans of my brain and other terms I'd never heard before. Remember, this was back in the late 1800's, so this type of scientific progress was unheard of. Who knows what they'd be like today if they'd been allowed to continue," Wynter mumbled, slightly hesitant in her answer.

"I see," Seras mumbled, "I'm sorry, Wynter,"

"For what?"

"For making you recall all of this. I shouldn't have said anything,"

Seras just stared at the table, not looking at Wynter. Wynter cocked her head in confusion and concern. "Seras," she muttered, "Are you all right?"

"No," Seras murmured, "Actually, I'm not. Wynter, I feel so guilty. I feel like this is all my fault. I shouldn't be here; you should still be with Alucard because you're still his fledgling and you were taken away from him!"

"Seras, don't talk like that," Wynter scolded, "I'm a hundred and fifty-two years old, I would have broken away from him long before now had I stayed." Wynter told her.

"It doesn't matter," Seras said quietly. "I still feel guilty about it. Master—I mean, Alucard was the only thing you had after you were changed. Even before he turned you, he was all you had left."

Wynter sighed heavily and reached across the table to take her hand, smiling warmly. "Seras Victoria," she said, "Listen to me. I'm glad things are like they are right now. As of late, I've begun to recall things through my dreams and write them down once I awaken and they're still fresh. I've been able to piece together Helene over the passage of four years. Now that I can recall her, I have to say how much you resemble her. This is why I'm glad you're here because it's like I have my little sister back with me in a reincarnate form. Seras, you are an absolute joy to be around."

Seras smiled faintly, but she still seemed unconvinced. Wynter sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "You're hard to convince, you know that?" she said wryly. "Ah, no matter. We're sisters, like you said. Just chew on what I told you for a while and I'll be waiting for my triumphant victory,"

Seras looked up and Wynter just smiled, folding her hands under her chin.

//ooo//

Darkness surrounded a forgotten place, lost to the sands of time within the suburbs of a beautiful populace, trapped between the seconds. Marseilles had once been the home of the prestigious Beaumont family, but now, with their home in shambles on the outskirts of town, talk was being circulated of building a more modern structure there. However, should a human glance at the crumbling structure, he'd see only what his eyes showed him. If he were to venture inside, it was likely he'd never emerge ever again.

Seated atop the grand staircase, reassembled through dark magic along with the rest of the innards of the house, a lone figure pondered his current situation. Training his red eyes on his ghouls milling about below and the young girl seated several feet away from him, he sighed and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"It's quite a fine day, isn't it?" he said.

"Hm," the girl replied, kicking the banister she sat upon. She brushed a handful of thick red hair from her eyes and slouched irritably in boredom. "I'm so sick of this sitting around collecting ghouls and weak vampires," she growled, "When are we going to make a move?"

"When I feel the time is right, of course," the man said. He reached back and his slender fingers sliced through his thin black ponytail before coming to rest on his upraised knee. "I don't want to act too quickly and scare away my prey, correct?"

The girl snorted. "I don't see why you want to go after her. She abandoned you, after all? Besides, she's a vampire, now. She's not useful anymore, right?"

"Wrong. Vampires are constantly evolving and adapting. Those silly little human legends about us are nothing but poppycock and old wives' tales to be told to children at bedtime to pacify their very real fears," he drawled, "Very real fears that we will appear and spirit them away," he said with a dramatic wave of his thin hand. "I intend to savor this hunt. Genevieve won't escape me forever. Soon, very soon, she'll be mine. Her asking to be changed by that pest, Alucard was a minor setback, but a useful one, nonetheless. Of course, I should have been the one to change her, but she saw to it to deny me that basic pleasure. I'll be sure to ask her of it once we are reunited."

He cast a knowing glance at the girl, glaring off into space. "But if I were to set you free, you'd seek to kill her yourself, on orders from that man you've been assisting."

"I hate you," the girl snapped, "The Iscariot Organization treats me like a human. You treat me like dirt,"

"You are a human. But you've been cursed with longevity by werewolves, fated to grow slowly and die alone. The Iscariot Organization abuses your unique blessing and directs it toward their own lowly causes. Hellsing and Iscariot are quite the thorns in my side in my path to achieving what I desire most; the love of Genevieve Du Beaumont. Surely you of all people understand this, Helene Du Beaumont," Louis said with a smirk.


	8. Eight

A/N: I'd like to stress here that I'm trying to develop a familial feel for the characters, rather than focusing on any romantic aspects. So you can interpret what I write however you like, but my general focus is on family traits. By the way, this chapter is a little gruesome.

Eight

Wynter spent the next few days training with Seras. She was learning to handle a gun from Walter and often worked together with her 'younger sister' out at the shooting range. Walter often timed them with Alucard watching nearby.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that Wynter is your fledgling," Walter said to Alucard after Wynter broke the range record for fastest time, "After all, she's identical to you in almost every way. The two of you even share similar appearances," Walter commented.

"As I told Integra, that's merely coincidence," Alucard insisted, "Although you do have a point. She's the only one who ended up this way. The others were nothing at all like Wynter. She's in a class by herself. She fights with precision speed found only in the most seasoned vampires remaining and despite her lingering connection to me, she has managed to drink blood of her own free will. In all my years, I've never seen anything quite like her."

They watched from the parapet overlooking the range. Wynter and Seras had paused for a break and Seras started telling Wynter some kind of story. Wynter's stony expression never changed, her red eyes seemingly staring right through Seras. To Walter, he felt as though he were watching Alucard rather than Wynter, so similar were their outlooks and mannerisms. It was downright uncanny.

"Tell me something, Alucard," Walter mumbled, "What exactly happened to you and Wynter? Why has a century and a half passed and she still has yet to free herself from you."

Alucard's face grew dark. "I honestly don't know, Walter," he said, "Whoever took Wynter away from me knew exactly how to detain me long enough in order to take her without my interference. I can't die by decapitation, but for a few minutes following, I can't move either. The amount of power and concentration required to pull myself together properly is great enough that I'm immobilized temporarily. By the time I'd regenerated myself, she was gone and our telepathic bond was severed."

Walter stared hard at his old friend, understanding that it must have been a difficult burden to carry for so long, knowing he'd failed so miserably to protect his fledgling.

"I would like to know where she was taken," Walter said, "For when I was tending to her after you brought her here, I noticed a strange brand on her neck. That and the microchip embedded in her arm suggest to me that she was taken somewhere for experimentation of some kind. Scientists often take similar measures with their lab animals in the event they ever escape."

Alucard clenched his fists and snarled. "The thought of it makes my blood boil," he snapped. "Some human treating Wynter like a common rat,"

Walter hummed, but stopped pressing the issue. It was rare to hear Alucard angered. Pretty much the only things that set him off were any direct threats or insults to Integra, and cheap vampires 'disrespecting the name Nosferatu', as he put it, and even then he didn't normally lose his composure. Alucard didn't have many weaknesses, but his clear bitterness over his outright failure to protect his fledgling, Wynter, clearly gnawed away at him mercilessly. Walter sighed and turned to look at the two vampires chatting away about something down outside the shooting range. Well, Seras was doing most of the chatting; Wynter just kind of listened. Her wings were out and now and then, she'd flex them slowly, apparently shaking out tension that probably built up from being folded for so long.

"It would seem to me that if Wynter harbored any ill will toward you, she wouldn't have agreed to remain at Hellsing to work with you with our wayward sire vampire," Walter pointed out. "Try to take this into consideration. Who knows? What was lost is probably salvageable,"

Alucard watched him carefully as he moved off to submit a report of Wynter's abilities. He frowned and then turned back to watch Wynter and Seras. Wynter was laughing at something Seras had said. Alucard couldn't let go of that nagging sense of failure he'd put up with for over a century and a half since that day. His mind wouldn't let him forget that he still cared about Wynter the same way he did for Seras. But his rational thought told him that whatever relationship they'd enjoyed before was gone now, thanks to whatever had happened to Wynter. He just had to learn to accept that.

Like most things, this was easier said than done.

//ooo//

The young woman's flaming red hair blew violently in the harsh breeze whipping up around her. Below her, Louis walked with another young woman from town, a flighty blond thing who couldn't have been more than nineteen years of age. Helene sighed. Another one. She knew what was coming so she jumped down through a hole in the roof while Louis led the woman inside.

"Oh, is this where you live?" the woman exclaimed. "It's gorgeous. I always thought this place was a burnt up wreck,"

"I'm having it refurbished," Louis explained to her. The woman stared around in awe at her surroundings before frowning and turning to him. "Louis," she said, "The ceiling is full of holes on the outside, but inside, there's nothing on the ceiling. How is that?"

"Oh, quit beating around the bush, just kill her already," Helene snapped, coming down the stairs with her hand on the banister. The woman gasped sharply and whirled to Louis, "Wait, you want to...to kill me?" she squeaked.

"Damn it, Helene, why must you always interfere?" Louis snarled at her. He turned to his soon-to-be ex-companion. "I truly am sorry, but you'll have to die, now," he said, approaching her slowly. The woman stumbled backward, eyes wide with fear as she raised her arms in a futile attempt to defend herself. "No, no!" she screamed, whirling to Helene in her search for help. Helene just watched, expressionless as Louis moved to the woman's side in the blink of a human eye, took her into his arms and deftly sank his fangs deep into her throat. A scream died in her as he drained her life force away, nearly taking every last drop of her blood. When she was close to death, he offered her some of his own blood, which she accepted blindly before passing out. Louis dropped her unceremoniously to the floor and whirled to Helene, his face fierce. "I had hoped to have a little fun with her beforehand, Helene," he snapped, "Don't you dare interfere with my game ever again,"

"Or you'll what? Turn me into a big bad vampire? Fine. Under threat of death, I still haven't revealed your location to either Hellsing or Iscariot. They're still blindly chasing after your fledglings. Father Anderson would love to have a go at killing you."

Louis sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth, Helene. To think I haven't already used you to bring Genevieve out of hiding,"

"What you do is none of my concern, Louis. I'm only after one thing; revenge against her."

"Revenge? Ah, yes, you mentioned something like that once before, Helene. Revenge against the sister who did nothing to protect you from the ghoul of your dear father, the sister who betrayed you and became one of us just so she could preserve her own life. But really, shouldn't the object of your vengeance be her sire, Alucard?"

"I'll deal with him after I finish off Genevieve," Helene snapped at him. Louis laughed, long, loud, and amused, "Hah! That will be the day. Helene, do you know why Alucard is bound to Integra Hellsing and the Hellsing family in general? It's because he can't be killed. Do you want to know his secret? I'll give you a hint; it's the same basic principle you're using to remain alive a hundred and fifty-two years after your supposed 'death',"

Helene just stared at him blankly. Louis smirked and continued, "His secret is sheer force of will. He doesn't know death, therefore he can never meet death. No one knows when he became a vampire or how. We only know that he's likely the most powerful vampire alive. However, that doesn't stop us from trying to kill him. He is darkness itself, born into a tangible form that walks this earth with a malice only he can understand and that the rest of the world feared, quaked and trembled against. That is, until he was brought down by one, simple, almost pitiful thing,"

All the time Louis was talking, he was making his way up the steps toward Helene, his gaze locked on hers until he was right in front of her. He reached a single clawed hand out and brushed the tips of his nails against her face. She never flinched, just stared straight into his red orbs glaring at her.

"Helene, do you know what that thing was?" he whispered.

"No, I don't," Helene growled, clenching her fists. Louis' eyes narrowed and he bared his fangs menacingly, "Love," he said. "The great Alucard fell for a human girl and did everything in his power to make her his. But all in vain," he hissed. "He was brought down by Abraham Van Hellsing, Integra's ancestor. He was placed under a seal of bondage maintained by a member of the Hellsing family at all times. He can never release all of his power at once and must undergo a command in order to do so. This is why Alucard will soon be free. Integra is the last of the Hellsings. When she dies, the seal will break. Even at a quarter of his strength, Alucard is unbeatable. And this, Helene, is what makes the concept laughable; you, a mere gifted human, going up against the greatest vampire who ever lived? Why, as she is now, even Genevieve would take you down before you knew what hit you!"

He grasped her arm in his vice-like grip and hurled her down the stairs. Helene swiveled catlike in midair to land gracefully on her feet on the marble floor below, glaring up at him furiously as he descended calmly. "Having been grazed by the teeth of a werewolf, you were neither turned, nor spared, Helene. Your reflexes have been enhanced, your longevity increased, your growth rate slowed exponentially. You are neither human, nor werewolf, nor monster. You, my dear Helene, are an outcast from every grouping imaginable. You are one of a kind and you will forever remain alone and unloved, cursed to die a miserable death where no one, not even your precious elder sister, will mourn your wretched existence!"

With that, he whirled to his newly awakening fledgling while Helene glared at his back, seething.

//ooo//

_Wynter backed up against the wall of the alley she'd been cornered in. Her dress was tattered and ripped from running and her eyes were rimmed from hunger. But these men were clearly strong humans and Wynter was still growing used to her new found strength. It was clear in their eyes what they wanted._

_ "Hey, pretty birdie, you don't have to run from us," the first one, a heavyset bearded man drawled._

_ "Yeah, we ain't going to hurt you," his partner, a balding, also heavyset man added. Wynter bared her fangs and snarled at them, making them back up slightly. They were put off by her teeth, but when they realized she wasn't going to attack, they grinned again._

_ "Okay, so you got some weird teeth, there," the bearded man said, "But it'll take more than that to put me off, especially with a frame like yours,"_

_ Wynter allowed a wolfish growl to rumble up from her belly in an attempt to warn them one final time. She really didn't want to kill them. Alucard had always said that to be a proper vampire, you couldn't show off your strength. If you did, you'd only be hunted down and killed. It was also essential to avoid killing needlessly to draw less attention to yourself. Wynter couldn't remember any human standards she might have followed at one point or another, but she wondered if rape was included in there. She certainly didn't want to be violated by these pathetic drunkards, but she didn't want to devour them, either. Their blood smelled nauseating._

_ The balding man reached her position, reaching his hand out to grasp her breast. Wynter snarled and yanked away, lashing her claws out at his face. The man doubled back, clutching the side of his head in agony as he glowered at her. "Bitch! She's really asking for it!" he snapped._

_ Wynter squeezed her eyes shut, telepathically screaming out to Alucard for help._

_**Are you going to let them violate you?**_

___Wynter gasped, hearing Alucard's voice in her head. "Master?"_

_**If you're going to give in so easily, then why bother exist at all? You're my fledgling, Wynter. You have power, so use it.**_

___Wynter barely felt it as she was slammed up against the wall, the balding man pressed up close against her. His foul breath turned her stomach, but the smell of his blood awakened her powerful aching thirst, despite his potentially horrible taste._

_ "Master?" Wynter whispered. The bearded man burst into boisterous guffaws, "Hey, she's starting to understand the rules!" he exclaimed._

_**Kill them, Wynter. If you don't, they'll take what little you've salvaged as a human. Kill them and let their blood run free. You have just cause. The power is there. Find it! Use it! It belongs to you, Wynter! Use it! USE IT!**_

___Wynter almost felt as though she were watching herself as she opened her mouth for them to see as her fangs glinted in the faint light. An unseen force ripped up the air around her feet as she reached her arm out to the balding man's face. Her arm began to dissipate into an amorphous, oozing dark form, grazing the man's face in his wake. His eyes widened and his body trembled in horror, but she'd blocked his mouth and he couldn't scream. Her flesh seemed to melt and change as it darkened into a charcoal black, her entire body morphing into a shapeless, black mass, slowly enveloping the man's body. Two protrusions erupted from her __back, oozing upward and forming liquid wings slowly unfurling, hardening into ebony feathers. Somewhere, perhaps from Wynter or from elsewhere altogether, the sound of a bird's calls could be heard, demonic in texture and frightening in nature, a sound indescribable by mortal man. Wynter felt her field of vision growing wider as her neck extended, her skin forming scaly feathers as her face flowed out and took shape. Her arms melded to the wings and she opened her eyes, bright red, luminous orbs. She opened her mouth and screeched, a shrill, ear-splitting wail that paralyzed her attackers in their tracks. Her oozing flesh completely hardened into a new substance, her body morphed into a humanoid amorphous shape resembling a human with bird's wings. The dark substance around her waist and below extended outward in tendrils she moved under her own control. These, she grabbed the remaining man with as the balding man was drawn inside her translucent body. His screams were muffled as the strange form she'd become began to crush him, pulverizing his body into a bloody pulp to be consumed by her vampiric nature. The bearded man watched his friend be devoured and attempted to run from the girl they'd mistaken for harmless. The tendrils of darkness lashed out at blinding speed to overtake him, snatching him into the air and pulling him close. He shook his head wildly as he was drawn nearer to her. Wynter eyed him hungrily, pulling her wings around to encircle them while she lowered her head to his throat. Her clawed hands attached at the joints of her wings caressed his face, her voice coming out in an ominous hiss. The part of her that was holding him slapped over his mouth, deafening his screams of terror. Wynter dove forward, latching her fangs on the soft flesh of his exposed neck. His warm blood gushed out over her, the sight and smell of it driving her feral side wild. He struggled viciously and she smashed him down to the ground, still slicing through his neck._

_ All through her horrific transformation, her mind clouded. She'd forgotten why she turned in the first place. But now, looking into his face, she was beginning to remember. She let out a hideous screech like a banshee and wrenched her fangs free. While he still lived, she raised her claws up and then slashed down violently, slicing him open and ripping out his innards, listening with a strange pleasure as his muffled yells turned into agonized screams. She continued to rend at his body, tearing him to pieces until there was virtually nothing left of him, or his friend, whose remains had long since been completely digested by her amorphous body. Then, she hunched backward, staring at her handiwork with angry eyes, slowly feeling __the retreat of her power. With a rush of wind, the darkness began to funnel back into her, slowly returning her to her human form. The darkness swirled into a single black thread which spun into her neck, formed a line encircling it for just a minute and then vanished, without a trace. Wynter stood on shaking legs, gazing down at what she'd done, splattering the walls and ground below her. It was night, so no one would see this right then, but Wynter felt sick. She fell to her knees._

_ "Nicely done, Wynter," Alucard said as he approached her, clapping his hands slowly. "You've proven to me that you can be merciless and bloodthirsty when you need to. You even got a good meal out of it. How do you feel?"_

_ To his surprise, Wynter gazed up at him with bloody tears streaming from her eyes. "I...I don't...," she whispered, shaking her head. Alucard knelt down to her level, frowning. "What's wrong? You should be proud. You're only a month old, Wynter. You've mastered in a day with my teaching what took me decades to learn on my own. You're on your way to becoming a true Nosferatu, to becoming true family," he said._

_ Suddenly, Wynter let out a horrible wail and threw herself into him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing in complete abandon. Alucard blinked in surprise and then snarled angrily, "Stop it! Is this any way to act? Show some dignity, Wynter!" he yelled._

_ "I was...I was...oh, Master, I was scared! I was almost...but, I reacted and I'm just...I'm scared! I'm scared of myself! I'm scared! I'm scared!"_

_ Alucard found it difficult to imagine, but he was beginning to realize that she wasn't crying because she killed and devoured those men. She was crying because she'd used so much power right off the bat. She'd never done that before and she was scared of her own abilities. That small part of her was still human._

_ He sighed and embraced her comfortingly. He supposed she had some right to cry and waste precious blood. After all, becoming a vampire was a lengthy and difficult road. She'd probably have to wait for years, even decades before she got used to it. He had to remember that patience during these first few kills was a must. After all, he himself hadn't always been as ruthless and powerful as he was today. But then, he hadn't exactly had a master to show him the ropes, either. _

_ "Master, what...what's happening to me?" she choked out._

_ "You're becoming a vampire, Wynter," Alucard answered softly._

_ "All that power...I don't want it! I can't want it! What if I lose control?" she exclaimed._

_ "Then I'll just have to get you back under control," Alucard said, lightly pushing her back. He smiled and bent his head forward to gently lick the blood from her face. "After all," he said, "You are my fledgling. It's my job to turn you into a proper vampire,"_

_ She still looked so much like a lost child. Alucard couldn't help but smile at her. In a sense, she was a lost child. He still didn't know why she lost all her memories and he figured he probably never would know. All that mattered now was her survival in a difficult world._

_ "I have to say," he said as he got to his feet, offering her his hand, "Your power is quite amazing. I'm proud of you, Wynter,"_

_ Her face lit up in delight and she smiled, her whole being radiating sheer joy from his words. She grinned childishly and shrugged her shoulders upward._

_ He didn't suppose he'd ever understand her, either._

//ooo//

Alucard jostled awake, looking around and realizing he was still sitting in his chair where he'd apparently dozed off.

"A dream...it was only a dream," he muttered. He remembered that day all too clearly, the day when Wynter discovered her true potential as a vampire. Looking at her, one would never have guessed she was the quiet, meek young girl who'd lost her family to a gruesome monster like that Von Brunswick person. Looking back, Alucard figured that that was probably what clued him in on what was really going on.

But was it already too late?

A/N: So Alucard knows, now. Hehe, but what he knows, well, you'll just have to read and find out. And I've gotten a couple more readers!! I'm so incredibly happy!! If you could drop me a critique, that'd be great. I need all the help I can get. ^_^


	9. Nine

A/N: Okay, a sequel is definitely in order. I left too much unexplained in the end of this story for my liking. I'll start working on it whenever I can. Oh, and by the way, I highly recommend a new anime I found called Gankutsuou-The Count of Monte Cristo. It's really an excellent anime and one of the few that's managed to move me in a while.

Nine

_Fogginess._

_ "The sedatives are wearing off!"_

_ "That can't be! We gave her the highest dosage allowed!"_

_ "Well, it wasn't enough! We need more! Oh god, she's waking up!"_

_ Fogginess was lifting. She moaned and flexed her wrist. She couldn't move her arms. Something covered her eyes. She couldn't see anything. She was lying on a cold surface. She was dimly aware that her clothes were gone, replaced by some rough fabric._

_ "Get out of there! She's coming to!"_

_ Voices. Some kind of alarm. What was going on?_

_She struggled more fervently, yanking at the restraints holding her in place. She felt it as they began to give way beneath her vampiric strength._

_ "What's going on? What have you done to her? Stop it!"_

_ "Stay out of this! We need to get her sedated again or she'll slaughter us!"_

_ Rapid footsteps, a door slamming. Someone was leaning over her and she ceased struggling for the moment. The cloth was removed from her eyes. Blazing light seared her eyes and she squinted, struggling to see. A woman was leaning over her, smiling gently._

_ "It's okay, I'll let you out of this," she said quietly. Wynter felt it was the restraints were released, allowing her to sit up. Her vision still blurry, she studied the woman carefully._

_ "My name is Susan," the woman said, "What's your name?"_

_ "Uh...uh, Wynter," Wynter answered, momentarily forgetting she was a vampire. Susan smiled. "Well, Wynter, just relax. I'm going to help you and-"_

_ A sudden hissing sound, a sharp sting in her neck and Wynter found herself falling, her vision growing black. She was sure she heard a scream nearby as she hit the floor, but found she didn't really care as her mind went numb._

//ooo//

Blood dripped from her fingers and fangs as she glared down at the remains of her assignment lying in tattered remains on the floor. Wynter sighed heavily, a sound resembling a snarl and a hiss. She straightened up and adjusted the earpiece she wore.

"Sit Integra, it's finished. The last fledgling has gone down," she said.

"_Good. We were timing your work, Wynter._"

"Oh? So what's the verdict?"

"_I have to say that I'm quite impressed with your timing. However, you're quite sadistic, aren't you?_"

Wynter bared her fangs angrily. "I did what you wanted. That should be enough. The sooner we find out who's behind all these pathetic fledglings, the sooner I can return to my nomadic lifestyle," Wynter snapped.

"_Return to headquarters at once, Wynter._" Integra said sharply. Wynter scowled and crushed the earpiece between her fingers. The home she stood in was situated in the heart of London and faced the Thames River. No one would have seen her slaughter of the fledgling girls hiding there. They'd been young, still quite innocent, but about as trusting as Satan himself. The minute Wynter appeared inside their home, they'd stabbed her multiple times with knives. Wynter could only laugh at their stupidity before she killed them. Now, she stood amongst their bloodied corpses, covered in blood herself from her multiple wounds.

As she departed, she draped her cloak over the knife slashes, pushing her hair over her eyes to cover their redness.

She found Seras and Alucard waiting on the next block. Integra had sent them in as potential backup. Wynter scowled. Integra still didn't completely trust her abilities were on the level. But she wisely held her tongue as she approached.

"Targets are silenced," she snapped, "That was too easy."

Seras blinked, staring at her in bewilderment. Wynter frowned. "What?"

"You sound just like master," Seras said blandly.

"Coincidence," Wynter and Alucard both said at the same time. They glanced at each other in confusion and Seras started laughing.

//ooo//

Integra ran through the most recent reports. The number of fledglings was beginning to level out and this time, they were growing in power. Integra was beginning to see a new pattern emerging with the appearance of four fledgling vampire girls in London, near where Wynter's slaying had taken place. These girls were reported by her sources to be exceptionally more powerful than the dozens of previous fledglings. What's more, all four girls were almost identical in personalities and interests. They all played the piano, were engaged to be married and were aged nineteen.

Alucard stood nearby, watching. She'd summoned him twenty minutes prior and seemed to have forgotten he was there. But she looked up, eying him seriously.

"Alucard," she said, "How old was Wynter when you turned her?"

"I believe she was nineteen," Alucard answered.

"Why did you change her into a vampire? If you've already told me, I may have forgotten," Integra said, leaning her chin on her hand.

"She asked me to," Alucard said with a leer. Integra frowned.

"So you gave her a choice between life and death?"

"No. She sought me out of her own free will and demanded to be changed."

"Did you already know her beforehand?" Integra asked.

"Somewhat. I'd met her the day prior to her turning." Alucard replied, wondering where she was taking this.

"Hm. I see. How much about her life were you aware of beforehand?"

"Are you insinuating something?" Alucard said, his eyes narrowing.

"Answer my question, Alucard," Integra snapped. Alucard blinked and sighed, smirking. "No, not very much. I was aware she was engaged, but that's about it. Now you must answer my question," he said, watching her expectantly. Integra regarded him coolly.

"I'm not insinuating anything, Alucard," she said curtly, "It only seemed to me that Wynter holds a different place in that lump of earth you call a heart than Seras does. I wonder...were you ever in love with Wynter before she became a vampire, or after, even?" Integra muttered, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Alucard didn't move. He continued to watch her stonily.

"Answer me, my servant," Integra commanded. Alucard chuckled dryly.

"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. There's no way of knowing what was going on in my mind a century and a half ago, Integra," he said, "All I can account for with certainty is that Genevieve's spirit was among the strongest I'd seen in a human. She ranked up there with you, my master," he said airily. Integra frowned and hummed.

"So, Wynter was called Genevieve, then,"

"I don't believe I ever completed my most recent assignment, Integra," he said ponderously. Integra sighed.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hedging," she mumbled.

"You malign me, Integra. What reason would I have to hedge?"

Integra sighed heavily and interlocked her fingers beneath her chin, "Haven't we had this conversation before?" she muttered. She picked up the recent report on the four new fledglings. She handed it to him. "Take a look at this," she said.

Alucard made his way over, moving slowly. Integra just watched him warily as he reached out to take the paper from her, holding it up to scan it quickly. His eyes widened for only a fraction of a second. Integra counted herself lucky to have caught it.

"So," Alucard said, "It seems our sire has settled on a single type of young girl to turn."

"Yes," Integra said, "And they're all the same age Wynter was when you turned her. Or should I call her Genevieve?"

"Her name is no longer Genevieve," Alucard said blandly.

"Yes, that's right. You took that from her when she awakened, did you not?"

"Rest assured, I had her welfare in mind while doing so," Alucard said with a light bow. Integra could sense the slyness in his voice. She frowned at the knowing look in his eyes as she stared into them. Of everyone, even Walter, she was the only person unafraid to make eye contact with him. And for good reason. For whatever reason, she was the only person he couldn't hypnotize with that menacing glare. She sighed heavily.

"You know something, don't you?"

He grinned, showing his fangs. "It's about time you got to the point," he sneered.

"What do you know?"

"Why should I tell? You're a smart girl; you're perfectly capable of figuring it out on your own," Alucard taunted. Integra bristled and clenched her fists.

"Alucard, do you or do you not know the identity of this vampire?" she snapped.

Alucard's eyes took on a fiendish glow for a moment before he froze up, glancing at the door. He grinned as he began to back up against the window, his eyes wild.

" 'By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes,' " he chanted. Integra frowned and whirled to the door just as two slow knocks resounded on the hard wooden surface.

"Who is it?" she called.

"_May I come in_?" a girl's voice said. Rather than wait for an answer, she opened the door and stepped inside. Integra's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

The girl appeared about twelve or thirteen. She wore a yellow spaghetti strap top with a black collar and silver chain attached to her neck, like a dog. She wore a short red skirt and black knee boots and her flaming red hair hung loosely around her face down to her shoulders. But from the feral glaze in her eyes, it was clear she wasn't human.

"Who and what are you?" Integra said.

"A werewolf," Alucard piqued up suddenly.

"He's partially right. I was grazed by a werewolf's fangs when I was small and was never completely changed into one," the girl said. "You must be Integra Hellsing. My name is Helene Du Beaumont,"

Alucard bared his fangs suddenly as he laughed long and amused.

"Helene Du Beaumont? That's what you said?" he exclaimed. "How amusing. The Helene I knew by that name died years ago. The Du Beaumont family has supposedly been extinct for over a century."

"Yes," Helene said, "I'm quite sure that you of all creatures would know that, vampire Alucard. I'm glad to see you haven't aged a day since the day we met. I'm searching for Genevieve and I was told she could be found here. Where might I find her?"

"Now just hang on," Integra snapped, rising to her feet, "First off, how did you get past Walter and security and why are you searching for Genevieve?"

"I'm glad to see you aren't denying your acquaintance with her. Genevieve is my elder sister. Being a unique hybrid of three species affords me special abilities which have risen the attentions of a certain organization to which I am employed by a mister Enrico Maxwell,"

"The Iscariot Organization," Integra hissed.

"Correct. However, while I am bound to them by word of mouth and signature of hand, I am bound to another by blood and a desire for vengeance against the sister who abandoned me. The silver about my neck serves as a constant reminder to hold my tongue while in my master's absence, but I will say this. Both he and I share a desire to drink a traitor's blood."

"Tell me something," Alucard said, "If you are truly Helene Du Beaumont, how are you still living? I tasted in your sister's blood the memories of your death," he said, a morbid interest evident in his voice. Helene's eyes widened slightly at his words.

"You...you bit Genevieve?" she exclaimed.

"Yes and I must say, her blood was some of the sweetest I'd tasted in centuries," Alucard replied, clearly enjoying this game of psychological warfare.

"You inhuman bastard!" Helene shrieked.

"That's enough!" Integra shouted, "Helene, is it? Why do you serve the Iscariot Organization?"

"They see me as a weapon and nothing more. I serve them out of my own hatred for vampires. I understand that one day, I will meet my demise at Anderson's hands. But I don't care. It's better than eternal servitude with the monster who destroyed my family."

Alucard smirked. "Louis Von Brunswick," he said. Integra and Helene both whirled in his direction.

You know my master?" Helene exclaimed.

"Yes. Genevieve mentioned that he killed you. How did you survive?"

Helene's lower lip was quivering with barely concealed rage. "I simply fainted from blood loss. Master healed my wounds, but I escaped and ran into a werewolf. He grazed me with his teeth before master killed him. Silver still affects me. Hence the chain around my neck,"

"So then," Alucard said, folding his arms, "Von Brunswick has returned to claim Genevieve after all this time."

"What do you mean?" Integra asked carefully, heavily suspicious. Alucard chuckled and sighed, shaking his head. "It's just as I thought. Everything now makes perfect sense," he said. He glanced over at Integra and grinned. Helene just followed the two of them in confusion, especially when Integra summoned Walter to her office through the P.A system. She raised her eyes to her.

"I don't trust you, Helene. But your information is vital to us, it seems. Would you be willing to make some sort of deal to return to us in the near future?"

Helene crossed her arms, scowling. "Perhaps. What would you offer?"

"The destruction of your master and freedom from the Iscariot Organization." Integra answered. Helene's eyes flickered.

"And the chance to kill Genevieve?" she added hopefully.

"The first two will be difficult enough as it is, but they will guarantee a life for you to pursue whatever twisted goals you have in mind, Helene. If you desire the first two, you'll not push your luck in the matter," Integra growled.

"Very well, Integra Hellsing," Helene sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "I shall return in half a fortnight."

Integra blinked just once and Helene had vanished from her office. Alucard whistled.

"She's fast, for a misfit," he said.

"Alucard, you clearly know who her master is. Is he the one creating all of these fledglings?" Integra said.

"Maybe. It seems he's still got his eye on Wynter," he said. "I suppose I shouldn't have let him off the hook back then,"

Integra smirked. "Looks like you're getting soft in your old age," she said mockingly.

Alucard just chuckled as he turned away. "Watch yourself, Integra. Remember, learning the name of the sire was only half the battle."

His eyes blazed as he left her office, his voice still echoing in his wake. "Now the _real_ fun can begin!"

//ooo//

"Louis Von Brunswick," Integra repeated later. Walter had arrived with some research done on him. There had been plenty of information.

"Ahem," Walter said, "According to the business bureau, Louis Von Brunswick is a highly successful exorcist, much like the Iscariot Organization, specializing in werewolves. But according to some of my more vague sources, he's a vampire noble who's been posing as his own descendants for generations,"

"I see. Origin?" Integra asked.

"Marseilles in France."

"Any connection to the Du Beaumont family?"

"If there were ever any lasting connections, they've all been severed. He was, however, the prime suspect in their slaughter, as well as the disappearance of their middle daughter. Due to lack of evidence, all charges were dropped and the investigation was abandoned."

"How prominent were the Du Beaumonts?" Integra probed.

"Antoine Du Beaumont was a well-respected noble at the time."

"And what of his family?"

"Two daughters and one son studying abroad," Walter answered.

"Two daughters and one son. That son clearly survived Von Brunswick's onslaught. Does Wynter have any surviving relatives alive today?"

"Yes, one young niece and her parents. They currently live in Italy."

"And they have no knowledge of Wynter's current existence?" Integra said.

"If they do, it's more than likely the family's skeleton in the closet, Sir Integra. The chances are high that she has been wiped from the family history and that they have no idea she exists."

Integra sighed. "I see. So then, if these fledgling vampires created by Von Brunswick are somehow related to Wynter, what's the connection?"

"I could check with a few more of my sources and arrange for a special audience with her family members," Walter suggested.

"No, best to leave her family out of this. The way she is now, there's no point in dragging them into her affairs and they're happiest left in the dark about her existence. Besides, it's likely the son had no idea of his family's murder or the identity of their killer, as well as his motives. If that's the case, there would be no point in questioning them. Instead, try to find out the connection between the fledglings and Wynter. Obviously, Alucard knows something, but prying it from him would make about as much sense as arguing with a brick wall."

"As you wish, Sir Integra," Walter said with a bow.

"One more thing," Integra said as Walter prepared to go. He turned slightly. Integra stood up, the moonlight reflecting off her glasses.

"Yes, Sir Integra?"

"Wynter must not know that her sister Helene is alive. From what I've been able to piece together, her sole reason for asking Alucard to turn her was the desire to avenge her family. I was able to figure out that much. If we're going to stop these fledglings from dispersing too much, we need to figure out the connection between Wynter and their sire, Von Brunswick."

"Right away, Sir Integra," Walter said.

//ooo//

"Seras, you've got to help me, he's driving me nuts!"

Seras sat with Wynter in Wynter's new temporary room at Hellsing. It was just down the hall from hers and Alucard's respective chambers. Wynter's room contained a coffin bed just like Seras's did, but because she'd never once used a coffin, opting instead to sleep in a hole in the ground, Wynter felt uncomfortable there. She'd started sleeping outside during the day, protecting herself with her black cloak, despite her abilities as a Day Walker. Because of this, certain incidences had been occurring, which Wynter had scanned back to Wally, the recruit she and Seras had creamed at volleyball the week before.

"What do you mean?" Seras asked. Wynter had plunked her head down on the table, moaning. "I sleep in a hole in the ground in the daytime because I've never once used a coffin. I surround myself with earth and rest that way with my head partially uncovered. Lately, I've been waking up with stupid flowers placed around me like a grave! Also, somebody keeps launching volleyballs at me when I'm walking or training."

Seras giggled. "I guess he's still sore at getting beaten by two girls," she said.

"Yeah, two girls with _supernatural abilities, _Seras! Of course he was going to get beaten. As proper Nosferatu, we're stronger, faster and cleverer than most humans."

"Maybe he took it as a personal insult," Seras suggested.

"I don't know. I just wish he'd have the guts to tell me and get it over with. Honestly, I'm sick and tired of returning ill-placed serves and hurls whenever he thinks he's got me off my guard."

Seras blinked slowly as realization set in and then she started giggling. Wynter frowned, one eyebrow raised. Her red eyes flashed angrily. "What on earth is so funny?" she snapped.  
"I get it now, Wynter! Wally likes you!" Seras exclaimed.

Wynter's face blanked out. Her eyes turned steely and she looked away.

"Well, for his sake, he'd better keep it to himself and leave me to my own devices," she growled. "Typical humans, always getting into trouble where they're not wanted."

"Trouble? No, he must have just been impressed by how well you played. He's trying to get your attention,"

"He should just mind his own business," Wynter snapped. Seras looked hurt and Wynter sighed. "I apologize, Seras. I don't mean to take my irritation out on you."

"But you seem bitter, now. Does Wally remind you of someone?"

Wynter poked the transfusion bag she was supposed to be eating and leaned her head on her hand. "Yes, actually, he does," she murmured.

"Who?"

Wynter hesitated before answering and her eyes took on a faraway glaze, as though she were recalling long buried memories from years before.

"His name was Tobias," she said. Seras gasped.

"You've said that name in your sleep!" she said.

"I'm sure that I have. He was someone very important to me," Wynter told her. "But he's long gone, now. He lived a good seventy-some years ago, maybe more."

"Seventy years?"

"Yes. I was kept captive at the facility for twenty-four years. He arrived there after I'd been there for that long, coming to assist my current handler in my care. By then, most of the original scientists had retired and I was left to unknown people, mostly descendants of the original workers. Nearly no one there knew what I even looked like, only that I was never to be released for their own safety. I was kept confined in a steel room with magnetic doors. This kind of technology was unprecedented. I couldn't escape, no matter how much I struggled. They spoke with me through speakers, though I didn't always respond. I supposed Tobias was always curious about me. He decided to talk to me one day, asking me what I was doing in there. I told him I was being held against my will and he said he'd help me escape."

Wynter bowed her head and clasped her fingers together.

"You can stop there, Wynter," Seras said gently, "You don't have to tell me anymore,"

"Thanks," Wynter mumbled, "All I can say for now is that Tobias was extremely important to me. He was the only person to treat me like I was somebody, not just a monster of the night,"

Seras watched her carefully as Wynter stared hard at the transfusion bag.

"You know, Seras," Wynter said with a weary sigh, "There's no such thing as immortality, but for we semi-immortal creatures, eternity becomes a tiring existence,"

Seras started in surprise. Helena had said those very same words to her!

"But in terms of age, we aren't that old, Wynter," Seras said.

"It doesn't matter. Humans are only meant to live for eighty or ninety years. Vampires like us can live for hundreds and possibly, even thousands if our luck holds out. Our only entertainment comes from watching the world and its inhabitants evolve steadily over time. Gradually, we become bored with that and start to search for ways to pass the time in other avenues. For some vampires, books help. For ones like me, constantly wandering, searching out new things and new places. And then there are others similar to our master who seek out murder and bloodshed, or just like our master in seemingly searching for someone who can kill them. I'm only a hundred and fifty-two years old, but I feel so much older and there are times when I regret asking Alucard to turn me."

She laid her head down in her arms with a sigh. "I'm so tired, Seras," she mumbled. "So incredibly tired,"

A/N: I'd imagine that an eternity would be tiring, don't you think? I don't think I'd like it very much. After all, everything gets boring after a while and eventually, Wynter will run out of things to explore. It's kind of sad, really.


	10. Ten

A/N: Flashback time! Yay! Anyway, the sequel is well underway and being planned as we speak. This time, I plan to give Anderson a bigger role. Now, for those of you who were asking, and I won't name names, I'm melding both the TV series and the Ultimate worlds together, as well as veering away from the original plotline toward a more AU version. There will be mentioned elements from both versions in these stories, but they won't focus on any one storyline. In other stories, I spent too much time chasing the original storyline and I want to do it my way for a change. This is not to say, however, that things won't be as accurate as possible. Now, enjoy the chapter.

Ten

_"You must remember to keep your voice down," Susan warned him, "She's extremely volatile. I've only ever seen her face once, but she is truly terrifying,"_

_ "So then why do you continue to visit her?" the young man following her asked. Susan smiled, "Because she's a sweet girl when she wants to be. Don't worry, we have her muzzled. She can't bite you, but it's best to be careful what you say around her. She's quite strong,"_

_ "How old is she?"_

_ "I'd have to guess she was nineteen when she died. I suppose she's about twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, now. That's how long she's been here, anyway,"_

_ The young man shook his head wildly, his confusion mounting, "Susan, you just said she died!" he exclaimed. "That makes no sense! Just what the heck is she?"_

_ "I already told you," Susan said, adjusting her glasses, "She's Nosferatu, one of the few remaining original specimens alive,"_

_ "And what on earth is Nosferatu?" he asked irritably. Susan stopped, whirled and fixed him with a piercing stare._

_ "Vampire," she hissed, "Tobias, you're impossible; I've told you all about her. The thing is, I don't even know her name, so I've been calling her Raya. She seems to respond, but she chooses when she decides to talk, you realize."_

_ Susan led him down the empty corridor deep beneath the earth. Tobias felt as though he were being suffocated by the planet itself. He brushed a hand through his dark brown hair, reaching back to tighten the band holding his ponytail back._

_ "You can't honestly expect me to believe she's a vampire," he growled, "Vampires don't exist."_

_ "That's where you're wrong. When we first brought her here, she killed and drained one of her guards of his blood. We were too late to stop it and in seconds, he was a dry, lifeless husk. I assure you, she's a true vampire."_

_ "Fangs and all?" Tobias exclaimed in amazement. Susan nodded grimly._

_ "Yes, and not just her canines. All of her teeth are quite sharp and her jaws can extend sort of like a shark's, allowing her to firmly clamp down on the neck of her prey. It's really quite amazing to watch. But with the circumstances involving her capture, she's hostile and lets no one but me close to her."_

_ "Circumstances? Hey, just where did Arakawa find her anyway!?" Tobias yelled. Susan whirled and shushed him._

_ "Quiet! She can hear every word we're saying, you idiot! To answer your question, Arakawa's team stole her away from her master twenty-four years ago."_

_ "Master?"_

_ "Quiet! Yes, her master. Her sire. You know, the vampire who turned her?"_

_ Tobias raised one eyebrow. "Oh,"_

_ "Arakawa's team spent months studying him to best get to Raya. They finally deduced that there was no viable way to kill him, so they detained him somehow and stole her while he was distracted."_

_ Tobias scowled. "That's cruel," he said, "Why'd they take her in the first place?"_

_ Susan sighed, shrugging, "Why else? To study her," she mumbled. They reached the end of the hallway, standing before an enormous steel doorway. "Here we are," she said. She went over to a small code box and entered an eight digit code into it. There was a resounding thud coming from the doors as the steel locks were released, one by one. Slowly, the door began to open, the rusty tracks squealing in protest and condensation from inside drifting out toward them, ominously._

_ "Such heavy security," Tobias breathed._

_ "Of course," Susan answered, "She's a blood drinker. She hasn't tasted human blood in a little over ten years, not since she feigned sedation during routine maintenance and killed the workers. At least, that's what I was told, anyway. Now, she's fed livestock blood intravenously to keep her from going dormant," _

_ The door reached the end of the track way with an echoing boom. Susan made her way into the gloomy inner room with Tobias following her somewhat hesitantly. Inside was a small control room, empty of all but one man with stringy black hair in a bowl fashion and thick framed bifocals. He sat at a small counter before a triple-paned window overlooking a black, empty space set about thirty feet into the ground. There was a hatch in the wall leading to a retractable ladder that dropped down into the pit where Tobias could see another doorway carved into the wall, also guarded by steel. He was surprised to see what looked like a silver bar stretching across the opening. Susan noticed him peering through the glass._

_ "That silver bar is an extra precaution," she explained, "In case the door were to ever open, it would probably take her by surprise and stall her escape."_

_ "Just what the hell are we dealing with here?" Tobias whispered in horror. The man at the counter turned around, his square face etched with wrinkles.  
"Who are you?" he demanded gruffly._

_ "Uh, I'm Tobias Flint," Tobias said quickly, "I'm new to the facility,"_

_ "Greg Travis," the man replied, extending his hand to Tobias. "Head supervisor of the freak division."_

_ "Freak?" Tobias repeated, glancing out toward the second door thirty feet below them._

_ "Yes, freak. Unnatural, that one is. Susan's the only one who can get her to talk and sometimes cooperate. We don't really get our hopes up much anymore. I've voted time and time again for euthanization but the higher-ups won't hear it."_

_ "What? You want to kill her?" Tobias said._

_ Travis snorted and bellowed in laughter, "Of course we want to kill her! She's a bloody demon! God damned bloodsucking monster," he growled. "Susan, you gonna talk to her or what?"_

_ "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Tobias is my new assistant and I thought it best to get her acquainted with him."_

_ "Just don't be taking his sorry ass down there to see her," Travis grumbled, "We'll be sucking him up through a vacuum if you do,"_

_ Tobias visibly paled and Susan patted his arm. "It's fine. Here, the speakers are over this way."_

_ She led him to a small podium where a microphone sat attached to wires leading through the wall beneath the counter and into the black void below them. She pressed a small red button beside the microphone._

_ "Raya? Raya, are you awake?" she said into the microphone._

_ No answer. Just static._

_ Tobias glanced over at Travis who shrugged. "We used to have surveillance in there, about five years ago," he explained, "But she suddenly went bonkers one day and tore the eyes out of the guard sent down to look through the slots. It's just as well; couldn't see nothing but her eyes anyway."_

_ "Why's that?"_

_ "Ever seen a vampire's eyes? They glow bright, fiery red in the darkness, kid," Travis said with morbid glee._

_ "Raya?" Susan said again, "It's me, Susan. Are you awake?"_

_ ((Yes))_

_ Susan gasped and motioned Tobias over, "Oh, good. How are you today?"_

_ ((Fine))_

_ Her voice sounded mechanical through the speakers; empty and devoid of all expression. To Tobias, she sounded almost depressed._

_ "I have someone I'd like you to meet, Raya. He's my new assistant and he'll be speaking to you in the coming weeks. His name is Tobias Flint,"_

_ There was brief silence. Susan pushed Tobias toward the microphone and nodded encouragingly. Tobias cleared his throat and tugged his collar nervously._

_ "Um, h-hello? Raya?"_

_ ((Hi))_

_ "U-Uh," Tobias said shakily, surprised she'd answered him, "My name is Tobias. Um...how long have you been in there?"_

_ ((Far, far too long. I miss moonlight))_

_ "Don't you mean sunlight?" Tobias asked without thinking. Travis slapped his forehead and Susan started giggling. Tobias went bright red. Suddenly, they heard it; the faint, rupture of voice, raspy and faint, but unmistakable._

_ Raya was laughing._

_ ((Ha, ha, you're quite amusing, Tobias Flint. I look forward to meeting you in person. Tell me about yourself,))_

_ Tobias looked to Susan for help. She nodded for him to do as she asked._

_ "Uh, okay. I, uh, like to surf and I like fishing. I'm a pretty good cook, so I usually cook what I catch. Uh, have you ever had cod before?" he asked, again without thinking._

_ "Jeez, what a moron," Travis grumbled._

_ ((I have. I believe it used to be my favorite before I was turned. Of course, I couldn't dream of eating it now, you understand,))_

_ "Oh, right. Sorry. Um, what do you like to do? I mean, when you weren't in here,"_

_ ((I enjoy sitting on the beach and listening to the waves. I enjoy spreading my wings and taking flight on a moonlit night and-))_

_ "Wait a second, wings? You said wings?!"_

_ ((Yes. I have wings))_

_ "T-That's amazing! I wish I could see them."_

_ Susan and Travis just stared in astonishment. Never before had Raya ever talked this much through the speakers, not even to Susan._

_ "This is incredible!" Travis whispered excitedly, "We need to keep her talking. Maybe we could actually get some work done on her!"_

_ "No," Susan interjected sternly, "Leave her alone. The fact that she's talking means she's comfortable around him, possibly even more so than she is with me. Face it, Greg, we can't keep her like this forever. One of these days, her master will find her and Lord knows what will happen when he does,"_

_ "So," Tobias continued, "I live in this house overlooking the water. I inherited it from my grandpa. It's in the middle of this little cove and the surf there is just perfect. There's this real high cliff that I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows of. I know! I'll photograph the place sometime and bring it in to show you!"_

_ ((What's a photograph?))_

_ "Oh, that's right, I forgot, you've been locked up in here for a while. Well, it's like a painting, only it takes just a few minutes. It takes an instant shot of whatever you aim the camera at. It's pretty cool,"_

_ ((I see. It's similar to portrait work.))_

_ "Yeah!" Tobias said. He was surprised; he'd expected Raya's voice to sound scary, seeing how she was a monster. But to his surprise, even through the speaker's static, she had a very pretty voice._

_ Susan talked Greg into letting Tobias continue speaking with Raya for another hour until finally, Raya ceased talking and Susan had to shut the speaker off._

_ "She's probably tired," she explained, "She hasn't been out of that chamber in ten years, so she doesn't do very much,"_

_ "She must be lonely," Tobias said as they left the underground catacombs where they kept Raya._

_ "She is. She's told me so herself. She tells me that she misses her master so much that she feels physical pain. Don't tell this to anyone, but I've been secretly searching out her master," Susan mumbled. Tobias whirled, eyes wide in alarm._

_ "You've what!?" he exclaimed._

_ "Yes. I understand that should he respond, he'll probably kill me and everyone else in this place for daring to do what we did. But it's a fate I'm willing to accept if it means Raya can be set free. Yes, she's a vampire, but she's also a living being. She was human once, you know, and so was her master. I've spent months getting to know her and I can't stand to see her like that. I'll do whatever I can to help her,"_

_ Tobias stared at Susan hard, disbelieving her story at first, but gradually coming to terms with it. He looked away, lost in thought._

_ //ooo//_

_ Tobias made his way down the corridor that night, long after everyone had left the facility. In the time before he'd met Raya, he'd been under the impression that she'd be this monstrous demon from hell that once spoken to, would scare him away for good. But after talking with her, he was now under the impression that Raya was nothing more frightening than your shadow. He was now determined to find out the truth._

_ He entered the eight digit code and waited as the magnetic door slid open. He hurried inside and over to the controls for the speaker, switching it on._

_ "Raya! Raya! Are you there? Raya?"_

_ ((I'm here. What's wrong?))_

_ "You're awake, good. I'm sorry to disturb you," Tobias said in relief. He wasn't sure why he'd been so worried about her. After all, it wasn't like she was going anywhere._

_ ((I was awake anyhow. Is something troubling you, Tobias?))_

_ "Yes, actually. Raya, tell me, why do they keep you in here? You can't possibly be as dangerous as they claim!"_

_ ((You've no way of knowing that))_

_ "So what? I spoke with you for an hour today and you sound just like an ordinary girl being kept in this place against her will! I don't believe that you're a vampire, I believe that the truth has gotten twisted around, somehow. Raya, you can't be a vampire!"_

_ ((I'm dangerous, Tobias. I'm kept in this place to protect the world from my wrath. Don't you understand?))_

_ "No!" Tobias cried, "You're a normal girl with no special powers or anything! You just don't seem monstrous. I just can't believe you're so horrible,"_

_ He waited for her reply. There was none._

_ "Raya? Raya?" he probed._

_ ((I hear you. I'm quite certain Susan told you I speak only when I choose to.))_

_ "Yes, she did. But Raya, please, let me help you." Tobias begged. "I've only known you for a short while, but I can see you're not this evil creature they claim you are."_

_ He paused, waiting for her answer. It took a long time, but she finally responded._

_ ((You are a fool.))_

_ "Huh?"_

_ ((You heard me. You're a foolish youngster with no knowledge of the night world. My kind once instilled fear in your kind, even though we remained somewhat passive, originally killing only when our thirst became too great to bear. Right now, even, I'm incredibly thirsty, so thirsty I'm often tempted to drink my own blood if only to slake my thirst for a short while.))_

_ "You're not a vampire, Raya!" Tobias shouted. "You're human! You must be! Monsters and vampires are vile demons filled with hatred and malice. You...you're not like that," Tobias finished weakly._

_ Raya sighed heavily, ((Such a fool. I take back what I said earlier. I hope we never meet. I'm quite sure that your blood would be most delectable. Leave now. Do not bother me again,))_

_ She ceased talking. Tobias scowled at the microphone, clenching his fists angrily._

_ "Damn it, you've been in there for so long, called a monster for so long that you've actually come to believe you're a monster," he muttered. "That's it. Raya, I'm going to plan your escape! I'm getting you out of there! It's time you saw daylight again! I'm convinced you're an ordinary girl who's been brainwashed into believing she's a vampire! I'm going to free you, Raya."_

_ No answer. Tobias sighed heavily. "Raya, please, this isn't right. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to get you out of there. One of these days, I'll take you away from this place. I'm serious, Raya, I just met you today, but after talking with you, I couldn't stop thinking about how unfair this is for you. Do you understand, Raya?"_

_ A low sound, almost like a wolfish snarl that sent shivers down Tobias's spine._

_ ((Fine. Do whatever you like, arrogant youngster. Just promise me one thing.))_

_ "Sure, anything,"_

_ ((When you finally see me in my truest essence, you must promise to run from me as fast as you are able.))_

_ Tobias scowled. "Why on earth would I do that?"_

_ ((Because I might just be tempted to eat you. Now leave this place and disturb me no more.))_

_ She fell silent again and Tobias turned the speaker off. He slowly moved forward to the window, staring down at the steel doors holding Raya captive. He wondered why she really told him to run. Surely she couldn't have been serious when she said she'd eat him. She wasn't a real vampire. She couldn't have been. There was no such thing. The agency had probably just kidnapped her when she was walking home from elementary school one day and started telling her that she was a vampire, causing her to begin to think she was one. That was all there was to it._

_ "I'll get you out of there, Raya," he whispered, placing his hand on the glass, "I promise. Just hang on, okay? Just hang on,"_

//ooo//

Alucard stood at the edge of the grounds, arms folded, staring intently at the red line rimming the horizon signaling the end of the day. He heard the familiar footsteps approaching, but made no move to turn around.

"Good evening, Integra," he said casually.

"Good evening, Alucard," Integra replied. "I see that you're watching Wynter train with the new weapon that Walter gave her?"

"Yes. It seems a bow and arrow suit her quite well. Much better than the handguns he was training her with,"

"What exactly is she using?" Integra asked as they watched her take careful aim down on the grounds, fire and then reach into the quiver she wore to pull out another arrow.

"Walter told me that he custom made a special bow made of bamboo, nearly indestructible by ordinary means. The arrows' shafts are made of cherry wood and the tips made with pure Macedonian silver. The bow can also be used as an ordinary hand weapon when the arrows run out. I have to say, Walter's outdone himself on this one,"

"So then, you're confidant of her abilities?" Integra pried.

"Yes. I'd say so. Wynter's always been a little different. If she were released from her bondage to me, she'd likely be a powerful rival," Alucard said. Integra glanced over at him, watching his one visible eye behind his glasses. The only possible way to see any of what he was thinking was through his eyes and often, even she couldn't discern what was going on in his mind.

"Is that so?" Integra said finally. "You don't seem all that pleased about that. As I recall, you're always on the lookout for powerful opponents."

Alucard just smiled. "Am I?"

"Don't play dumb, Alucard; it doesn't become you," Integra grumbled.

Alucard chuckled. "As you wish, my master,"

But as he turned back toward Wynter, his demeanor changed again. Integra couldn't figure it out. Something about Wynter brought out an almost depressed nature in Alucard. It unnerved Integra to say the least. Could it be his failure to protect her that did it?

"Walter performed a counter tracking on the chip we recovered from her," Integra said. "He managed to dig up information on the agency that took her,"

Alucard's eyes flickered.

"Yes," Integra continued, "It was a nameless organization that specialized in the creation of mutated humans for the supposed goal of furthering mankind, headed by a Takeshi Arakawa. Apparently, Wynter's records stated her as their most valuable specimen until she was 'accidentally released' and killed twenty-seven members on the base in her blood lust. After that, she disappeared."

Alucard grinned. "Acted like a true vampire,"

"It turns out that because of this, the organization's few surviving members disbanded out of fear of her. However, one member's body was never found and it was always assumed he fled. Do you want to know his name?"

Alucard glanced at her curiously. It wasn't often Integra put _him_ on the spot.

"What?"

"His name was Tobias Flint," Integra said, "And he was Wynter's handler."

//ooo//

Helene stood on the roof of the ruins of her old home, gazing out at the setting sun and feeling the breeze tear through her hair, slowly evolving into a gale. She could hear the screams of the new girl, another fledgling-to-be that Louis was busying himself with, trying to turn her. So far, it wasn't working. She wouldn't hold still and Helene was growing tired of her incessant screams.

She whirled and leaped down through the hole in the roof, landing delicately on the cracked marble floor. Louis looked up blandly from his position by the wall, the young girl pinned against it by a single clawed hand. She struggled furiously, screaming in terror and eying Helene pleadingly. Helene turned a blind eye to her and fixed Louis with a venomous glare. "If she won't cooperate, just kill her," she snapped. The woman screamed ever more loudly, flailing about viciously. Louis snarled and hurled her to the floor, momentarily stunning her. He stalked over to Helene, snatching her thin throat in his grasp.

"I'm tired of you telling me to kill them while they're still alive, Helene!" he snapped.

"And I'm tired of their constant screaming! It bothers my sensitive ears!" Helene growled. Louis released her abruptly and she fell to the floor.

"Damn it, Louis, how many more of these stupid fledglings are you going to create before you're satisfied?"

"Patience, Helene. I'll create as many as I need. After all, our only concern right now is that blasted organization, Hellsing and its supposedly tame vampire, Alucard. Integra Hellsing may be human, but she's a force to be reckoned with. Then there's the Angel of Death, a.k.a Walter C. Dornez, and that idiot girl, Seras Victoria. Despite her age, she's strong. But that's to be expected; she is, after all, of Alucard's blood."

"And just where are you getting all of this information?" Helene growled, getting to her feet.

"Where else? The organization's file system was actually quite impressive. Most of their archives survived intact in the Japanese government's systems. I've spent years pouring over what I received from them yearly. To them, I was nothing more than a wealthy benefactor. With Wynter out of harm's way, I was successfully able to study her sire thoroughly. I now have an estimated guess as to how to kill him once and for all. He needs to die in order for Wynter to completely accept me as her new master. If I want to possess her, I'll need every scrap of knowledge I can get my hands on."

Helene crossed her arms, scowling. "I don't see why you don't just accept the fact that she refused your advances. She did so as a human and she'll do so as a vampire."

"Yes. She might, at that. I understand that she lost all memories of her life as a human. This means that she likely won't remember me, or what I did. But she'll still sense my animosity and again refuse me." Louis said thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "Well, for the moment, I'll finish with her and then take my rest."

He turned to the young woman, just beginning to stir on the floor. Helene just snorted and turned, heading upstairs to the remains of her old bedroom. Ignoring the terrified screams as the woman experienced the ultimate horror of vampires like Louis, she stepped around the rubble and fallen debris. Louis' power had sealed her home as it was on the day of the fire. But a few things had survived, one of which Helene gingerly lifted from her ruined bed. It was a portrait in a daguerreotype case. It showed a pretty, older girl holding a small, red-haired infant in her arms. The girl's green eyes still shone, even through the oil paint being dulled by dust. Her raven hair cascaded down her shoulders and back and her smile was as warm as sunlight. Helene felt tears stinging her eyes at this sad shadow of her sister, Genevieve.

"I'll save you, Genevieve," she whispered, "I'll be the one to stake your heart and end your wretched existence. I won't let Louis harm you, so don't worry," she said as she clasped the case to her chest, "I'll save you,"


	11. Eleven

A/N: Jeez, long chapter. Anyway, I'm taking a break in planning the sequel. I've got writer's block and it's never good to try to force yourself to write when you know that whatever you come up with won't do you any good. So, enjoy these already written chapters while I get back on track. Thanks!

Eleven

_Susan frowned, following Tobias down the pitch black corridor to Raya's chamber._

_ "I'm not so sure about this, Tobias," she muttered, "If we're caught, we'll be killed for sure,"_

_ "We have to, Susan. I'm not going to let them keep an innocent girl locked away like this," Tobias insisted. _

_ "Tobias, I've already told you, she-"_

_ "No, Susan, there's no way she's a real vampire. She had to have been brainwashed or something!" Tobias insisted fiercely. Susan sighed heavily and shook her head._

_ "But I've seen her in action, Tobias. You've never seen her before; she's a true monster."_

_ "I'll believe that when I see it," Tobias snapped._

_ "Be careful what you wish for, Tobias," Susan warned gravely, "Because if we go through with this, you might just get what you ask for. She may be friendly toward me over the speakers, but I have no idea how she'll act outside of her enclosure. Think about it for a second; if she were an ordinary brainwashed girl, they wouldn't keep her in such restraint. Even with the power of suggestion, the human body is only capable of so much." _

_ But Tobias ignored her as they reached the steel doors blocking them from Raya. He entered the code and pushed through the narrow opening before it had even completed its track. He hurried to the hatch where the ladder sat, ready and waiting._

_ "Tobias," Susan said, "We need to warn her we're coming,"_

_ "No time. Travis may already know we're here. I'm going down there and open the door. I need you to cover me."_

_ He threw the ladder down and descended as quickly as his shaking limbs would allow. He dropped down the last three feet to the floor and groped his way through the darkness toward the steel door holding Raya captive. When he felt cold metal beneath his searching fingers, he pounded furiously on the door._

_ "Raya! Raya, are you there?" he called. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that Travis had been right in saying there had been a surveillance method. There was a thin hatch that could be slid open to look inside the room. He opened the hatch and carefully peered inside. At first, there was nothing but blackness and he felt his heart begin to pound all of a sudden._

_ Suddenly, two narrow red slits appeared before his eyes from inside the room and he gasped and stumbled back._

_ "R-Raya?" he called again._

_ ((Tobias? Get away from here,)) he heard her voice through the door._

_ "No, Raya, I came to get you out. Susan is here, too," Tobias said as Susan descended the rest of the way down the ladder, hurrying over to them. She approached the door, peeking through the hatch. Those same red slits appeared and Susan smiled._

_ "Raya, it's me, Susan," she said._

_ ((Susan.)) Raya answered. Through the hatch emerged four, milk pale fingers, thin and skeletal in appearance. Susan placed her hand over them and nodded once to Tobias._

_ "It's the same eight digit code as the main door," she said. Tobias searched through the darkness until he found the code box. He opened the plastic lid and entered the eight numbers. Instantly, there was a hiss as the door was released from its locks. Raya's fingers disappeared from the hatch as the door slowly swung open with rusty squealing. Susan and Tobias stepped back, watching. The darkness in the pit was immense, but inside the steel room, it seemed even darker. They couldn't see anything but gloom and condensation rising into the air around them from within. The faint light from the control room above gave them just enough visibility to see something so white it almost glowed moving about within the room._

_ "There," Susan whispered, "Don't make any sudden movements, Tobias,"_

_ She slowly stepped forward, stretching her arms out, "Raya, please come out," she called softly. "It's okay,"_

_ The soft footfalls seemed as loud as gunshots in the silence of this tomb-like room. Slowly, something began to emerge in the thin light. Tobias felt his heart hammering wildly, his eyes growing wider and wider as she appeared. The first thing that clicked was how incredibly thin she was. She didn't look strong enough to stand at all. In fact, as she came out, she had to lean on the door frame for balance before pushing herself upright._

_ The second thing that clicked was that she wasn't wearing anything and Tobias immediately averted his eyes politely._

_ The third thing that he noticed was that she was both muzzled and blindfolded, thick white bandages wrapping multiple times around her eyes and head. Some kind of metallic object had been fitted over her mouth and strapped to her head with a thick steel band that looked painful as it dug into her skin. Her hair was extremely long, reaching slightly past her knees and as black as night, blacker even than the darkness surrounding them._

_ As she staggered out, she stumbled and fell. Susan hurried forward and caught her before she hit the floor, cradling her limp body as she motioned Tobias over._

_ "Take the muzzle off of her," she said. Tobias did his best to ignore her current state as he knelt down, his hands working with the rusty clasps holding the band over her mouth._

_ "It's no use, Susan, it's rusted closed," he explained, "We'll have to cut it off,"_

_ "You'll do no such thing!" a familiar voice barked. Susan and Tobias whirled in surprise. Travis stood several feet away, a dozen or so armed guards descending the ladder behind him. Beside him stood the director, Takeshi Arakawa, the local who'd been hired to manage the agency in the absence of the benefactor. Susan hugged Raya's body closer as she glared at them._

_ "Stay away from her!" she snapped._

_ "Susan, give it a rest," Travis growled, strolling forward and reaching down to grab Raya's hair. She cried out in protest as he yanked her up. "She's a monster, Susan, but as long as I'm wearing this," he said, pulling a silver crucifix out from beneath his shirt, "I'm safe."_

_ He yanked it from the chain and lowered it to her arm. Tobias watched in astonishment as her skin began to sizzle and smolder the second it made contact with the silver. Raya moaned in pain, but was seemingly too weak to move. Travis dropped her to the floor where she lay motionless at his feet, her black hair splayed out and framing her like a dark halo._

_ "You bastard!" Susan snapped. Travis smirked and backhanded her across the face, sending her flying into the steel door. She sank to the floor in a daze. Raya attempted to sit up, "Susan!" she cried._

_ Tobias just held his ground, watching in horror. The men behind Travis began to move forward, guns aimed at Raya._

_ "Now," Travis said, "You're going to return to that chamber at once, vampire-girl and this time, you'll stay there."_

_ Raya worked herself into a kneeling position, her body quaking. Susan moaned weakly and got to her feet, moving to Raya and helping her to her feet. "I won't let you hurt Raya anymore," she gasped. Travis snorted and snapped his fingers. There was a sound like a crack of lightning and Susan suddenly jolted sideways, sinking to her knees and collapsing on her stomach, dead upon the bullet's impact with her brain. Raya turned in the direction of her fallen body, reaching out blindly until her frail hand found her body._

_ "Susan? Susan?"_

_ "Good riddance, bloody bleeding heart," Travis growled. "Now, as for you, I'll...what?" Travis exclaimed as he turned to Raya. Tobias backed up against the wall, watching in horror. As though a sharp gust of wind had brewed up in the pit, Raya's hair began to wave wildly, surging around her in an ominous wave. She got to her feet, some kind of wolfish growl emanating from her stomach as she did. As Tobias watched, her milky white skin began to darken around her right arm._

_ "Oh shit," Travis muttered, whirling to his gunmen, "Shoot her down! She's going to attack!"_

_ Tobias realized too late what was going to happen as he screamed at the same second the guns exploded into action around him, filling the narrow chamber with an endless echo of shots ringing through his head and down his spine. The bullets collided with her body in succession, and Raya just stood her ground, chunks of her skin, legs, arms and even her torso blown away in the lead storm. Travis's face began to contort in terror. "No! No, you idiots! Regular bullets don't do any good! Hold your fire! Hold your goddamned fire!"_

_ The shots ceased, their echoes slowly dying away. Raya's body was shredded, but somehow, she was still on her feet. During the hailstorm of bullets, her mask had been blown away, revealing the lower half of her face. One side of her jaw was broken, shattered by a bullet. In the dim light from the control room, Tobias could see something glittering in her mouth. As she turned toward him, his heart about stopped at the sight of glistening, razor sharp fangs. And not just four sharp canines, either, like typical movie vampires. Every single one of her teeth was as pointed and narrow as those of a shark's._

_ As Tobias watched, the lower half of her semi-broken jaw cracked suddenly, lifting back into alignment with its other half. Her blood all along the floor began to creep back toward her, ghastly in appearance as it morphed back into her body. As she turned away from him, he caught sight of something large and black rising from her back. Turning toward Travis and his men, she opened her mouth wider than most humans could ever hope to achieve. A spine-tingling snarl left her throat as she approached them, her body repairing itself as she went. Travis backed up instinctively, holding the silver crucifix in front of him like a sword. "S-Stay back! I'm w-warning you!"_

_ Raya lashed out violently, singing herself in the process as she whipped the crucifix out of his hands. It spun wildly across the floor, vanishing into the darkness._

_ "I'm thirsty," Raya hissed. Her right arm had now gone completely black, oozing outward in a shadowy tendril along the ground. It looked like a vine. It curled tightly around Travis, dragging him closer while his men lingered, paralyzed in fear behind him. Travis struggled wildly against her grip as she brought him close to her mouth. "And you smell delicious," Raya finished. She lunged forward and sank her fangs into Travis's neck, his arterial blood spurting randomly as he let out a strangled scream of agony. Raya didn't pause to drink his blood, instead tearing out his throat with a single lash of her neck, holding his body aloft with her fangs as she glared at the gunmen behind them. Dropping Travis to the floor where he lay bleeding out, she snarled at the gunmen who screamed, scrambling toward the ladder. Raya turned and in the blink of an eye, intercepted their movements toward the ladder. Without wasting any time, she lunged into their midst._

_ Tobias shakily got to his feet, the sounds and screams of the dying men as they were torn asunder white noise to him as he took in Susan's lifeless body lying on the ground, Travis's dying body as his pool of blood spread around him and the sight of Raya rending one poor gunman to pieces as he shrieked in terror and pain._

_ "N-N-No," he stammered, "It...it was true! S-She really is a -a-a vampire!"_

_ The screams stopped, replaced by a strange, indescribable sound. Even though he didn't know what the sound resembled, he instinctively knew what it was. Raya was busily feeding on one of the corpses. Swallowing his fear, desperately trying to remember the girl he'd spoken with through the speakers, he gingerly made his way through the carnage, approaching her carefully. Her jaws were buried in the poor dead man's neck and already, he was resembling a corn husk more than a human body. Raya consumed his blood hungrily, clearly starving. She drained his body and slowly stood up, her head lifting to Tobias, blood dripping from her mouth and fangs onto the floor. Before he could react, he found himself flat against the wall, pinned by his neck and staring into her face, her eyes still bandaged._

_ "R-Raya?" he stuttered._

_ "I told you to run from me, Tobias," Raya said calmly, "And I was correct. You smell absolutely divine. It's been so long since I tasted good blood. I was so hungry that these men had to do, but their blood was foul."_

_ "B-But Raya, I wanted to help you." Tobias said as calmly as he could, "And now you're out of here, right?"_

_ "But at what cost?" Raya muttered, glancing in the direction of Susan's body. Even with the bandages on, she clearly knew where everything was in this place._

_ "Yes, but she wanted you to be free," Tobias said. He paused and then eyed her bandages, "Uh, let me take these things off for you." he told her, reaching up to take hold of the cloth binding her eyes. He did his best to ignore the blood soaking her hair and body. He slowly unwrapped the bandages from around her eyes, revealing her closed lids. The cloth strips fell to the floor and her eyes snapped open. Tobias flinched back slightly at the blazing red orbs glaring back at him in the darkness._

_ "Uh, why are your eyes red?" he asked._

_ "I'm dead," she replied._

_ "Uh, oh right," Tobias said, "So, I guess we uh, finally met, huh? Um, Susan said she didn't know your real name. Can you tell me what your real name is, Raya?"_

_ He was babbling, trying to distract himself from the carnage around him. Raya glowered at him, discerning him, it seemed. She was totally unconcerned about what she'd just done._

_ "Wynter," she said finally. "My name is Wynter."_

//ooo//

Integra wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation as she made her way down the first floor hallway. They now knew the identity of the vampiric sire creating the fledglings, but they still didn't know the reason. All Integra could be sure of was that Wynter had almost everything to do with it. No, Genevieve had almost everything to do with it. Wynter was just involved. As Alucard's fledgling from over a century and a half ago, Wynter showed incredible skill as a vampire, clearly able to match Alucard if she needed to. But it didn't make sense; Wynter had never freed herself from her master before she was taken away, so how was she able to wield and control so much incredible power? It just didn't make any sense.

"Sir Integra?"

She turned to see Seras standing behind her, watching her carefully.

"Seras," she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was looking for Wynter, but she's gone missing, so I decided to take a walk,"

Seras seemed downcast, as gloomy as that day's weather. Integra frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, well, no...well, yes, actually," Seras said quietly. "Wynter keeps assuring me it's fine, but I still feel guilty."

"About what?" Integra asked. Seras picked at the fabric of her gloves.

"That Alucard is my master now. Wynter seems so cold and bitter over everything she went through over the years. I just feel horrible."

Integra sighed. "Walk with me, Seras," she said, moving down the hallway. Seras blinked in surprise and hurried to catch up with her.

"Listen, Seras," Integra said after a few seconds, "Knowing Alucard the way I do, it's eating at him as well, knowing he failed so miserably to protect Wynter before. But he's obviously managed to move on, as has she. Despite her lingering connection to him, she has no need of his training anymore. You, on the other hand, require a great deal more training before you're ready to call yourself a proper vampire of Hellsing," Integra said sternly.

"I know that. I knew that even when he first told me to drink blood," Seras said quietly, "But I just can't help it,"

Integra sighed. "You're just like him; stubborn." she said wryly.

Seras smiled sheepishly.

Integra frowned suddenly and stopped, staring ahead into the distance. Seras tilted her head in confusion. "Do you hear that, Sir Integra?" she asked.

"Yes, I do. It's the piano in the drawing room," she said. As they moved closer to the drawing room down the hall, the music from the piano began to grow louder until they were able to identify it.

"Fur Elise," Integra said quietly. "Beethoven's Fur Elise. Someone's playing it on the piano."

She carefully pushed the door open to the drawing room and stepped inside, Seras following quietly. Neither was expecting what they saw.

Wynter sat at the piano, her fingers moving deftly across the keys as she brought the classic symphony to life, the notes flowing elegantly from her fingertips into the air. Her eyes were closed and she seemed lost in the music as the song grew more intricate and beautiful. With each recurring note, her head nodded ever so slightly, the complicated song growing almost tangible in the air as they slowly came inside.

Integra and Seras just watched her. Wynter hadn't noticed them yet, or if she had, didn't show it. She nodded in tune to the rhythm of the song. Her wings were out behind her, only slightly compressed into a medium size. She was slowly extending them slightly with each note, as though conducting the music herself.

"Wow," Seras muttered.

Wynter gasped sharply and whirled, leaping away from the piano all in a split second. Her eyes blazed in shock, having been taken by surprise. She instantly relaxed when she saw them.

"It's you," she muttered.

"This room is off limits to personnel here," Integra said quietly, still slightly awestruck by Wynter's sudden show in musical talent.

"My apologies," Wynter said sincerely, "But the door was open and I was passing on my way outside. I don't know what came over me, but when I saw the piano, I just felt this urge to play. I didn't even know that I knew how to play, so it must be a subconscious action from my previous life," she said, glancing away. "In fact, I didn't even know that song until now,"

Integra's eyes narrowed. Wynter seemed immensely disturbed by both her loss of memory and the fact that she'd played a complicated piece perfectly when she didn't even know it.

"Wynter, you have no idea why your memories were lost?" she asked.

Wynter shook her head, "No, I don't. When I regained consciousness, I didn't even recognize my home city of Marseilles. All I could remember was my name and my thirst for vengeance. It's taken over a century, but I finally remember my younger sister and the vampire to whom I direct my revenge, all amassed through dreams."

"_Yes, and it's quite a shame, really. Your vengeance was the fuel for the blazing inferno that was your human spirit,_"

Only Integra and Wynter seemed unmoved when Alucard warped through the wall into the drawing room. Seras jumped back slightly, but calmed when she saw it was him. Wynter just frowned as Alucard approached.

"I see you've retained your subconscious memories of being a musician in your past life. Quite an accomplishment there, Wynter," he said.

"Don't patronize me," Wynter grumbled, not looking at him. "It's nothing I'm happy with. I'm content the way I am and remembering unwanted things just inhibits my movements."

"Spoken like a true Nosferatu, despite the lack of freedom," Alucard said, grinning. The light reflected off his glasses, turning them bright red.

Wynter scowled, "Humph," she muttered, turning and stalking out of the room. Alucard chuckled.

"She reminds me of you, now, Integra," he said.

"Is that good or bad?" Integra said.

"A little of both, really. After all, the two of you continue to surprise me, even now,"

"Why is that?" Integra asked.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot you can't sense it. Our wayward sire is on the move," Alucard said slyly, "And I'm detecting a rather large influx of vampires approaching London as we speak,"

Integra's face darkened. "Why haven't I received word of it?" she hissed.

"Probably because they're being moved over water in secret. I have a feeling that Wynter is aware of everything, although I'm surprised that Seras hasn't sensed it yet," Alucard said, referring to Seras by her name rather than Police-Girl.

Integra let out a hissing breath and whirled, "Damn it!" she snapped as she hurried to her office. Seras turned to Alucard, "Master? Is that true?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"Uh...."

"My point exactly. Go and prepare for battle, Seras. I'd better pay my master a visit."

And with, he dissipated into thin air and was gone.

//ooo//

Integra stood out at the helicopter port with Walter and Wynter. Alucard stood off a short distance, arms folded and waiting to get moving. Wynter had taken her new archery weapons with her in favor over her gun. Despite her superb shooting skills, she didn't care to use the weapon.

"Listen, Wynter," Integra shouted over the din of the helicopter rotors, "You are to scout ahead in the air and keep an eye out for these vampires approaching the city. No matter what, we cannot let any civilians witness their arrival! Do you understand?"

"Yes," Wynter said, "Do I have permission to strike?"

"If absolutely necessary! Now get going!"

Wynter reached back and yanked her cloak off, revealing her wings folded down against her back. Released from the weight and pressure of the cloak, they expanded upwards, unfolding with a crack of bone and rush of feathers. Completely unfolded, they were immense and she flapped them once, momentarily lifting herself off the ground for a few seconds.

"Walter, what's the wind direction?" she called.

"North by northwest, Ms. Wynter," Walter answered.

"Okay, and the vampires are heading in an easterly direction?" Wynter said to Integra.

"That's correct. Make sure to keep as high as you can so you aren't spotted."

"Right," Wynter said. She turned and took off for the edge of the roof, beating her wings furiously until her feet left the ground. She straightened herself out as she caught a gust of wind that carried her high into the night sky, soaring off toward the city.

"Walter," Integra said, watching her, "Is it very common for vampires to have wings?"

"I've never heard of such a case before, but all vampires are different, Sir Integra. It may have something to do with the first familiar she snared. You'd have to ask Alucard for a definite response, I'm afraid."

Within minutes, Wynter caught the scent of the vampires approaching the outskirts of the city. Her eyes narrowed as she picked up something in her sights. Folding her wings inward slightly, she descended several dozen feet, scanning the horizon carefully. That was when she spotted them on a grassy knoll about five kilometers away. Three young women, all dressed in rags with piercing red eyes. All of them vampires. Wynter dove closer, skimming over the tops of their heads about twenty miles per hour. They screamed in fury and grabbed upward for her, missing by miles as she took to the sky again, having assessed the situation quickly and cleanly. She tugged the earpiece closer to her mouth.

"Sir Integra? I found them. Three females on the west side of town heading east."

"_Is there anyone else?_"

"Not that I can see at the moment, in any direction. So far, it seems to be just the three. Shall I dispatch them while I'm out here?"

"_Do what you like. Just remember to keep an eye out for their sire. According to Alucard, he was supposed to be with them,_"

"Fine," Wynter said. She pulled her wings back, slowly gliding down until her feet hit the soft earth about twenty meters away from the fledglings. They turned to her, snarling. Wynter folded her wings and calmly pulled an arrow from her quiver, cocked it, aimed and fired.

"One down," she muttered, bringing another arrow out as the dust from the first fledgling's body began to settle on the ground. Here, the other two began to panic and whirled. Wynter fired again and pulled out another arrow.

"Two...."

She took careful aim. Closing one eye, she focused on the final fledgling's heart.

"And-" she started to say. She froze up suddenly when she felt herself go numb from the neck down, something clamping down on the back of her neck and forcing her to her knees.

"What!? Who...who's there!?" she snapped.

"My dear, you're quite the shot, aren't you?"

Wynter scowled. "Yeah, and who are you?" she growled, struggling to turn around and look at her captor. He chuckled.

"I'm surprised; I was sure that even with the loss of your memories, you'd at least recall the voice of one who truly loves you...Genevieve,"

Wynter felt her blood run cold.

"How...how did you know my true name?" she whispered. "Who are you!?"

"Tut, tut, all in good time, my dear. We'll have plenty of time to talk when we return to my home. In fact, we'll have all of eternity,"

Wynter was glad she'd left the earpiece receiver on.

//ooo//

Integra sat at her desk with her fingers interlocked beneath her chin. She stared at Seras and Alucard standing in front of her. Seras was agitated and jumpy, a sharp contrast to her master who stood perfectly still, awaiting Integra's words. Beside her, Walter appeared grim.

"He's finally made his move," Integra muttered, "And wouldn't you know he'd make check before we even saw it coming,"

"So he's taken her, then," Alucard ventured.

"Yes, he has. Before her earpiece was discovered and destroyed, we determined that it had to be none other than the sire vampire we've been searching for. Louis Von Brunswick. Alucard," Integra said, focusing on him, "I think it's about time you told us the connection between Wynter and Von Brunswick,"

Alucard's eyes flickered for just a moment and Seras watched him expectantly, absently picking at her fingernails.

"From what I was able to discover, Louis Von Brunswick had been infatuated with Genevieve Du Beaumont ever since she was a child," Alucard explained gravely, "On the night I turned her, Genevieve explained to me that Louis had asked for her hand in marriage and that she'd turned him down in favor of a human suitor. Wynter doesn't remember this suitor, nor the fact that it was Louis who directly destroyed her family, but she does recall her vendetta against him, so strong were her feelings of hatred."

"So Von Brunswick retained his feelings for Genevieve, even long after her supposed death," Integra said quietly, "So then, I'm assuming the connection between her and the fledglings would be Von Brunswick's attempt at her recreation?"

"Seems rather childish," Alucard chuckled.

"Exactly," Walter said, "Therefore, there must be an ulterior motive. Perhaps it had something to do with Genevieve when she was human?"

"Perhaps," Alucard said, "However, we'll never know. As you're well aware, Genevieve's human consciousness has been completely erased. She might not even recognize Von Brunswick,"

"Alucard, enough of this," Integra snapped, "You know more than you're letting on."

Seras and Walter both fixed him with curious glances, Walter slightly more suspicious. Alucard regarded his master coolly before grinning and closing his eyes.

"As always, you see right through me, my master," he said.

"It could be that you're just not as good at keeping secrets as you might think yourself to be," Integra grumbled.

"Very well. The day I met her, I remember sensing something rather different about her, but I'm afraid that's all I could place,"

"He seems to be telling the truth, Sir Integra," Walter said.

"Something different, hm? I wonder, could this difference have something to do with her mysterious loss of memory?"

"Sir Integra?" Seras said feebly, "Excuse me, but what should we do now? Shouldn't someone try to help Wynter...or, uh, Genevieve?" she asked awkwardly. Finally learning Wynter's real name had been a bit of a surprise, but she now wasn't sure if Wynter was appropriate anymore.

"I haven't received any inclination that she's in any real danger," Alucard said.

"I don't believe anyone asked for your input," Integra said sternly. "As for your question, we're dealing with it. The receiver was destroyed, but we have a fair idea of where she is. However, Alucard might be correct; Wynter is powerful and she is probably capable of escape on her own. We'll give her twelve hours. If in that time frame there is no sign of her, then we'll send you and Alucard out to retrieve her," Integra told Seras. Seras seemed less than happy with the decision, but nodded.

"Yes," she said. Alucard smirked and slowly dissipated into the air, leaving the room. Seras turned to go as well.

"Seras," Integra said. The young vampire turned back around.

"Yes?"

Integra's normally stony features softened slightly. "Try to relax for now. I assure you that even if worst comes to worst, she'll be back here," she said softly.

Seras smiled and nodded, leaving silently. Integra waited a few moments before sighing heavily, running a hand through her hair and facing the wall. "She's gone; you can come out, now," she said. Alucard reappeared from the wall, watching her intently.

"You don't really believe yourself, do you?" he said sharply.

"Why not? It's like you said; Wynter's a big girl and she can take care of herself." Integra told him.

Alucard's eyes narrowed dangerously. She was seriously pushing it. Integra knew she'd cornered him. She frowned, pushed her glasses further up her nose.

"Admit it, Alucard, you're concerned that Wynter may be in too deep for any of us get her back out,"

Alucard didn't move, but the air in the room seemed to grow thicker and Integra found she was having a difficult time breathing. Feeling dizziness sink in at the same time as the realization, she smashed her fist down against her desk as she leaped to her feet.

"Alucard! Stop right now!" she yelled hoarsely. Somehow, he was influencing the air around her, causing her to grow faint. It was his way of telling her she was out of line.

The air grew clear again and she sat back down, rubbing her neck.

"What I said was uncalled for, I'm aware of that. However, I am correct and you know this," she said angrily. Alucard just hummed, closing his eyes in thought.

"Perhaps, but don't forget, humans aren't infallible," he said.

"Neither are vampires," Integra countered, "And besides, you were human at some point as well, Alucard,"

Alucard just looked away, his eyes strangely distant. "True enough. Well then, I believe I'll bid you goodnight, Integra." he said as he moved swiftly through the wall, vanishing from her sight. Integra watched him go, slightly apprehensive. Alucard was finally allowing his hidden motives to take control of his actions. Yet again, he'd failed to protect Wynter and it was putting a strain on both his vampiric pride and his mentality. Integra was suddenly fearful for some reason and sat down to endure the long haul of the next twenty-four hours.

"Wynter, what's happened to you?" Integra whispered, folding her hands beneath her chin and staring into space.


	12. Twelve

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I'm having some trouble with my left hand and it's making it difficult to type. I'm currently planning out the sequel and doing all the things I usually do. It's funny. I normally wear nothing but black and I went to the park yesterday to watch the baseball practice. One little kid came over to me and asked if I was a vampire. I guess my black clothing and black hair did it. ^_^ It was cute and to be quite frank, I was actually flattered. Hehehe. Enjoy the chapter.

Twelve

_Immediately after introducing herself, Wynter seemingly lost interest in Tobias, turning away to feed on one of the corpses._

_ "Um," he called tentatively, "Didn't you say, uh, you didn't like how they, um, tasted?" he asked awkwardly. Wynter turned back slightly._

_ "I did say something along those lines," she mumbled. "Still, I'm famished and however disgusting they may taste, I have to feed. If you'll excuse me," she said blandly, seemingly completely forgetting about him._

_ "Uh, hold on a sec," Tobias said. Wynter turned her head, her expression of irritation evident._

_ "What?" she snapped._

_ "I can get you something else. I think we have some blood bags in the medical supplies if you want that,"_

_ Wynter's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Show me," she hissed. "If you're lying, you'll pay with your life. This is nothing to trifle with,"_

_ "I know," Tobias said nervously. "Uh, follow me," he said, moving over to the ladder. Wynter somehow placed herself beside the ladder in under two seconds while Tobias was still on his way over. He blinked in stunned shock at how fast she was and then shook his head. "Okay, then, I'll follow you," he muttered. "Um, do you need any help up the...." he said, trailing off as she unfurled her dark wings with a sharp shivering noise and pushed off the ground delicately, landing on the top rung and scampering inside. As he climbed up himself, casting one final glance back at the bodies all around him, Susan's included, he felt a tremor go through the ladder and his head whipped back up in alarm. Wynter was staring down at him, her black hair covering her face, but her eyes blazing bright red in the darkness. Behind her, her black wings shuddered ominously and Tobias realized that he wasn't as amazed by them as he thought he'd be._

_ "You're too slow, boy," she grumbled. Tobias scowled._

_ "Hey, I'm not a boy! I'm twenty-eight years old!" he snapped. Wynter smirked, showing her fangs. "You're a boy to me. Tell me, which of us is going to die first?"_

_ She chuckled darkly and pulled away from the opening as Tobias reached the door. He stumbled inside and hesitantly started to close the door. He stopped himself, sighing heavily, gazing down into the darkened abyss._

_ "What's wrong, boy?" Wynter snarled._

_ "I can't just leave her down there," Tobias mumbled._

_ "Do you speak of Susan?"_

_ "Yeah. She cared about you a great deal. How can you just abandon her body like that?" Tobias snapped angrily. Wynter turned away, her eyes hidden beneath her hair._

_ "Because she's no longer there, Tobias. It's her body, nothing more. An empty, soulless shell left to rot in its grave. Nothing good comes from needless sentimentality. Now, lets' move on. There's important matters to attend to,"_

_ "Oh, you mean the blood?" Tobias growled sarcastically._

_ "No. For the moment, my hunger is tolerable. I speak of the rest of the facility. They'll need to be dealt with if we're to make it out alive," Wynter said coldly, raising her fist up and cracking her joints ominously. Tobias watched in bewildered horror as she approached the door._

_ "Wait! You can't mean that you're going to kill everyone in the building!" he exclaimed._

_ "Of course I am. How do you expect to escape?" Wynter asked._

_ "But think of all those lives, Ra—no, Wynter! Some of those people have families! Mothers and fathers, children, nieces and nephews! You're going to cause a ton of grief to a bunch of people who were only trying to get by to their next paychecks!"_

_ "It's of no concern to me. You're human, therefore you think like a human. I'm a vampire, one of the undead, therefore I think like one of the undead. Don't lob us together like that. We're worlds apart and I'll operate as I see fit, boy," Wynter snarled._

_ "No! No, you can't do these things!" Tobias yelled, rushing forward to block her path. Wynter's eyes blazed furiously._

_ "And what do you think you're going to accomplish?"_

_ "I'm not going to let you slaughter everyone senselessly! Please!"_

_ "Get out of my way, or I'll break your neck," Wynter hissed, her patience waning. _

_ "So do it! It's only going to prove that you're an inhuman monster!"_

_ Wynter froze. She sighed and folded her arms, glancing away ponderously._

_ "A monster, am I?" she mumbled. "Inhuman, yes, but a monster?"_

_ "Yes, a monster," Tobias insisted, staring her down. Wynter hummed. "So then, what does that make you, oh human man who would keep me imprisoned in this wretched place? Steal me away from my master and lock me up? Break my bones to hold me down and drug me with useless sedatives to control me when up until recently, I was passive and gentle unless provoked?" she gritted out, putting strain on each word. Tobias faltered a moment._

_ "But I never did any of those things," he mumbled, shaking his head, "And neither did most of the people in this building! Yes, you've suffered, but that's no reason to take innocent lives! If you absolutely have to kill someone, kill me," Tobias said, flinching. Wynter chuckled dryly. "Such a brave front, boy. And yet I can smell your fear, sense it in every cell in your body. I terrify you, don't I? I make you tremble in your boots. I make your primal instincts come alive, telling you to run from me as fast and as far as you can, don't I?"_

_ She drew closer and closer to him, her face taking on a predatory scowl, her eyes gleaming viciously. Tobias shook furiously, but held his ground. Wynter smirked. "Why would you sacrifice yourself, knowing full well I could go back on my word and take the lives of everyone I found in this building?" she asked._

_ "I was brought in as Susan's apprentice to be your handler so I would have ended up doing a lot of the things you mentioned, Wynter. Out of all the people here, I deserve to die by your hands the most," Tobias said clumsily._

_ Wynter regarded him silently, her face blank of all emotion. Testing him. Tobias stared back at her, trying to meet her tests head on, despite having no idea what they even were. What was she thinking? If only he could tell._

_ Wynter smiled slightly, suddenly. "It seems for the moment, I'm bested. Well then, shall we go?"_

_ "But, wait—" Tobias started to protest._

_ "If we are attacked, I cannot guarantee my actions, boy. However, should no one meet us, I'll spare the lives here."_

_ "I suppose that's a fair compromise," Tobias said weakly._

_ "But I'll repeat myself; should we fall under attack, it doesn't matter who they are. I cannot ensure their safety if I'm aggravated. You'll accept this now,"_

_ It was an order. Tobias nodded once, feebly._

_ "Good. Now, you mentioned there was blood...." Wynter mumbled._

_ "Huh? Oh, right! Yeah, it's in the freezer cabinets in the employee medical station," Tobias said._

_ No one met them on the way there, much to Tobias's relief. It was likely that Travis had organized the attack with the director without anyone aware of what was happening. Of course, they were bound to notice in a few hours at the most when the director was deemed to be missing, along with the agency's most dangerous specimen. She walked calmly behind Tobias, following him without a word. Tobias felt his skin tingle in fear as he heard her soft footsteps behind his. They were incredibly light, so light that he had to strain to hear them. He'd cast occasional glances back at her, but she never seemed to notice. She walked with her eyes closed, almost as though she were sleepwalking. But that was never really the case, as she followed him through the complex maze of corridors and passageways with unquestioning trust in his judgment._

_ "Here we are," he said, sliding open a door about a quarter mile into the building from the chamber where Wynter had spent the last twenty-four years. She moved inside and looked around._

_ "It's rather stark," she pointed out. Tobias stood behind her, watching her. In the bright light of the medical ward, he was able to get a better look at her. Her hair was wavy and thick, as black as the night sky itself. It flowed clear past her knees and was surprisingly well-groomed for how long she'd been in captivity. In sharp contrast to her hair was her skin, which was as white as alabaster. She appeared about eighteen or nineteen, but he guessed that she was much older. In any case, she was just a mite shorter than he was. In the light, her red eyes didn't stand out as much, which was good. She stood with one hand on her hip and it occurred to him as he turned away quickly that she was still naked. However, she didn't really seem bothered._

_ "So," she said, "Where is it?"_

_ "Uh...." Tobias said lamely, refusing to look at her for the sake of modesty._

_ Wynter sighed irritably. "Never mind, I'll find it myself," she snapped, sweeping past him and kneeling down to peer into a cupboard. "I smell it, so where is it?" she mumbled to herself._

_ Tobias watched her as she searched, tossing out random articles and grumbling to herself. He jumped when he caught himself staring again and whirled away. "Uh, I'll find it," he said, "Hang on,"_

_ He busied himself with the task, hearing her stop her work and standing up behind him, watching him._

_ "I can sense your blood rushing," she said. Tobias scowled and dug through the cabinets furiously. Of course it was, he thought angrily. As embarrassing as it was to admit, he was a guy and she was a pretty girl. Sure, he was human and she was a vampire, but she still had a rather nice form. But he knew better than to mention this. Besides, it wasn't proper. Why wasn't she embarrassed? That's what he wanted to know._

_ He found the bag of type AB blood, the only one in the cabinet. He handed it to her without directly looking at her. She took the bag and sank her teeth through the plastic, completely draining it in just a few seconds._

_ "So uh," Tobias said awkwardly, "What does it taste like?" he wanted to know._

_ "It's very sweet," she replied. "There's still a little bit left. Care for a taste?" she asked, handing the bag to him. Tobias recoiled in horror._

_ "No! No way in hell!" he yelled. "I'm a human and that's human blood! That just isn't right!"_

_ "I've heard that once human flesh and blood is tasted by a human, it must be obtained for every meal at all costs, Tobias. I suppose it's probably true. I couldn't live without this substance." she said with decadence._

_ Tobias shivered in disgust._

_ "Well, I suppose that the bodies of those men you killed will be discovered soon. We should probably get out of here," he said scratching his chin._

_ "I'll return to my master," Wynter said, turning to go. Tobias lashed out and grabbed her arm. "Oh, no you don't. You're coming back with me," he snapped._

_ "What makes you think I'll listen to you?" Wynter grumbled._

_ "Three good reasons. A, there's no way of knowing where the heck your master is. B, once those bodies are discovered, the entire country will be clamoring for your head. Finally, C, well, you need some clothes,"_

_ Wynter smirked at him. "Aha, I understand now why your blood was rushing," she chimed._

_ Tobias felt his face heat up in both anger and fluster. "T-That isn't my fault!" he snapped._

_ "You're such a child, aren't you?" Wynter mumbled. "Very well, I'll go with you. But do you have a place that's safe?"_

_ "Yeah. I told you about it. It's my grandpa's old house. It's secluded, so no one really knows about it. You can stay there until this either dies down or until we find your master,"_

_ "Agreed." Wynter said, turning for the door. As she went, Tobias took off his white lab coat and draped it over her shoulders. Wynter whirled in anger, snarling._

_ "What?" she exclaimed as she caught sight of the coat, fingering the collar delicately. She cast a suspicious glance at Tobias, staring at the ceiling determinedly._

_ "It, um, it's not proper for a young girl to walk about without clothes," he said as gruffly as he could manage. He stalked past her, grabbing her arm and pulled her after him. Wynter just stared at his back as they went, surprised and a little confused._

_ //ooo//_

_ Tobias managed to get her safely out of the facility, counting his blessings that it was nighttime. The drive from the building was tense and Tobias continued to look out the rear-view mirror, fully expecting to see lights bearing down on them._

_ "Relax," Wynter said, "If we are pursued, I'll take care of it. Just focus on your driving,"_

_ Tobias just listened to her this time. She was almost too calm._

_ The drive, however, was uneventful. Wynter apparently dozed off along the way, allowing Tobias time to think. He continued to resist the urge to look over at her. Even with the coat covering most of her now, it still wasn't right. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to get made fun of again._

_ Two hours passed before they reached the little villa where Tobias lived. His grandfather had had the place constructed especially for his grandmother about a year before an illness took her. After that, his grandfather had lived alone until his death six years later, leaving the entire place to Tobias, his only living heir. The house was built nestled in a small cove flanked by high clay cliffs on all sides, the only entry being a narrow crevice in the rocks. He parked the car out front and shut off the lights._

_ "Okay, I think we'll be safe here," he said. "You still awake?"_

_ "I find it difficult to sleep," Wynter replied._

_ "Why?" Tobias asked as he got out of the car, Wynter following suit._

_ "Vampires typically sleep in coffins filled with the soil of their birthplaces. For me, that would ordinarily be Marseilles. But I have never once used a coffin, choosing instead to sleep in a hole in the ground."_

_ "The soil of their birthplace?" Tobias repeated. "What would your master have used?"_

_ "Not a clue. Master never told me where he was born and I don't know where he kept his coffin,"_

_ The inside of the villa was decorated Caribbean style with wicker chairs and matching table on the deck out back, a surfboard with some kind of tiki design and colorful orange and bright green paint adorning the walls. In one corner sat a large bookcase with photographs on top framed carefully and preserved._

_ "I'll go and find you some clothes," Tobias said as he moved into the next room. "Make yourself at home!" he called._

_ Wynter snorted lightly. That was a little difficult for a vampire to do, especially herself. So she opted to explore her immediate surroundings, moving over to the bookcase and glancing down at the picture frames. In one sat a grizzled old man with a long white beard and a formal suit. He sat in a chair out on the deck, staring into the camera, his eyes squinting from the sunlight. Even though the shot was in black and white, Wynter still got a sense of the old man's saddened nature._

_ Beside that picture, there was another that showed a man and a woman with a small boy in the center, grinning into the camera. The woman's short hair was cropped close to her neck and she wore a silver cross around her pale neck. The man's no-nonsense face betrayed his tough upbringing behind his thick mustache. The little boy wore a sailor uniform and appeared about six or seven years of age._

_ The final shot showed a young woman standing beside the water, wind blowing her skirt as she waved at the camera, her short wavy hair caught in the air's teasing grip. Wynter could see a band adorning her left finger._

_ "Ah," Tobias said as he came back into the room a few minutes later, "I see you found my family. Grandad Harvey, mom and dad, and Janet,"_

_ "Where are they?" Wynter asked._

_ "Well, grandad passed away, like I said. Mom and dad were both killed in a train wreck last year," he said quietly._

_ "And Janet?" Wynter asked._

_ "She was my fiancee. She died with them, unfortunately," Tobias mumbled. "Tragic. The train derailed right off the side of a ravine. Only two survivors; the engineer and miraculously, a baby girl. No one else,"_

_ He grew silent and somber. Wynter turned her gaze away._

_ "I'm sorry," she said blandly, though she meant it._

_ "Hey, it's fine. Don't worry about it. So anyway, I brought you some of Janet's clothes. You're both kinda tiny. Try 'em on," he said, handing her a bundle._

_ Wynter took it, casting a suspicious glare at him. Then, without warning, she removed the coat she still wore and Tobias yelled in alarm._

_ "Hey! Hey! Not in here! Come on!"_

_ "What's your problem?" Wynter snapped as she hurled his coat at him, slipping on the white blouse and tan, billowy skirt he'd brought. By the time Tobias had untangled himself from his coat, she was finishing adjusting the blouse. It had a wide neck extending across her collar bone with bell sleeves and went well with the skirt, which stretched down to her shins. Tobias smiled._

_ "Wow, it looks really good on you," he said._

_ "You think so, huh? You have unrefined tastes," Wynter muttered._

_ "No seriously, it looks really nice," Tobias countered. "With you looking a little more human, we can start to concentrate on finding your master,"_

_ At his mentioning, Wynter grew wistful and quiet. Tobias frowned. "You miss him?" he asked._

_ "Yes, very much so." Wynter answered._

_ "Well, it's still night. Why don't we sit out on the deck and have a drink. Uh, you can drink regular...stuff, can't you?"_

_ "Yes." Wynter replied._

_ "Okay. What would you like?"_

_ "Tea,"_

_ Tobias blinked. "Sure. Tea it is. I'll make some for you and some coffee for myself."_

_ He showed her outside and pulled a chair out for her while she moved to the railing to look out at the sea. The wind tore through her long hair and across the skirt and in the moonlight, Tobias again realized how pretty she actually was. Nothing like he'd first imagined when they'd met through the speakers. It seemed like years ago._

_ Once the tea and coffee had been brewed, he brought two steaming mugs out. Wynter still stood by the railing, but twisted around when she smelled the tea._

_ "It's jasmine," Tobias said, "I hope you don't mind,"_

_ "It's not my favorite," Wynter said bluntly, taking a seat in the chair by the table. She took the mug into her hands and took a sip, seemingly not even registering how hot it was. Tobias blew on his coffee and followed suit._

_ "So," he said, "Do you remember when you told me you had wings?"_

_ "Yes,"_

_ "I was wondering if you'd show me sometime. I'd like to see them. I mean, I saw them earlier this evening, but I didn't really look at them,"_

_ "When do you wish to?" Wynter asked._

_ "Whenever you want to. I'm in no hurry. It's just neat, that's all,"_

_ "Hm," Wynter mumbled, swirling her tea around the mug. She took another drink. Tobias cleared his throat and gazed up at the sky._

_ "It's a pretty night," he said, "Not a cloud in the sky and a full moon to boot."_

_ "Yes," Wynter agreed. "Nights like this make me rather thirsty,"_

_ "Well, you've got the...ergh," Tobias said, suddenly remembering what she meant. He paled slightly and shut his mouth, sinking lower into his chair. "So, what do you plan to do when you get...uh, hungry?" he asked lamely._

_ "Go hunting," Wynter answered._

_ "No way in hell," Tobias snapped._

_ "And why not?" Wynter asked calmly. "I'm a vampire. It's what we do,"_

_ "I'll go and get you transfusion bags or something. You're not going to kill anyone while you're here, do you understand?"_

_ Wynter regarded him blankly and then stood up, moving off toward the driveway. Tobias blinked and then leaped up, running in front of her, "Where are you going?" he exclaimed._

_ "I can't hunt while I stay here, so I'll leave," Wynter replied._

_ "Huh? N-No, wait, you can't leave! You're uh, wearing Janet's clothing! I won't let you take them!"_

_ He realized that saying that was a mistake the second she removed both the skirt and the blouse and handed them to him, once again standing there naked and apparently not caring in the slightest._

_ "May I go, now?" she asked. Tobias stared at her in astonishment._

_ "No!" he yelled, grabbing her arm and hurrying them into the house, handing her back the garments. "No, no, no, no! Just put those back on! Please!"_

_ "Make up your mind, boy," Wynter growled as she dressed herself. Once she was decent again, Tobias chanced a look at her. He sighed, his shoulders sagging._

_ "Okay, time for another compromise," he said, "Listen, about a quarter mile down the shoreline is a little cave where drunkards and troublemakers like to hang out. They mess up my beach and cause trouble for people visiting it in the daytime, but they hang out there at night as well. You can hunt them, okay? But no one else,"_

_ "Fine," Wynter said._

_ "I mean, I'd give you my blood if I could, or if it would help...." Tobias trailed off awkwardly._

_ "Are you a virgin?" Wynter asked suddenly. Tobias went bright red._

_ "What!? Uh, well, yes I am, but—"_

_ "Then I won't bite you. Discussion ended," Wynter said simply. She moved back out on deck and sat down, cradling her mug in her hands. Tobias went back out and sat across from her, watching her curiously._

_ "What do you mean? What's my uh, virginal state have to do with whether or not you bite me?" he asked._

_ "Because if I bit you, you'd turn into a vampire like me," Wynter said, "Whereas had you not been a virgin, you'd have become a cannibalistic ghoul. Either way, it's hell,"_

_ "So why'd you become a vampire in the first place? Did your master kidnap you or something—"_

_ Wynter slammed the mug down on the table with enough force to dent the wicker it was made of, sloshing her tea all over. Tobias jumped in alarm, nearly spilling his hot coffee all over himself. Wynter glared at him, grinding her teeth._

_ "Don't you dare make stupid assumptions!" she growled. "No, I wasn't kidnapped. I asked him to turn me for your information!"_

_ "I'm...I'm sorry, I didn't know," Tobias said in a small voice. Wynter's eyes flickered and her stiff posture faltered. She sighed and sat back down slowly, removing her hands from the mug._

_ "I apologize, Tobias," she mumbled, "I shouldn't have lost my temper,"_

_ "I guess you really look up to your master, huh?" Tobias said, trying to change the subject to something more tolerable for her._

_ "Yes, I did. He was everything to me. But I don't care to speak of him at present. In fact, I'm actually very hungry, so I'll take my leave of you for the moment,"_

_ She got up quickly and made her way to the railing._

_ "Remember what I said, Wynter!" Tobias called. She didn't acknowledge that she'd heard him, but something told him she did. She jumped off the railing and he almost panicked, as it was a good twenty-some feet to the bottom, but then he remembered how she'd leaped the thirty foot distance from the pit to the upper floor back in the holding cell at the facility and he relaxed. He sighed and waited a few moments in case she came back. He shivered from the cool night air and got up, taking the mugs inside and putting them in the sink. Then, he sat down on the sofa by the door and crossed his legs, waiting._

_ She finally returned about an hour later and he'd nearly dozed off. When she appeared on the railing, he got up and went to the door, sliding it open with a slight smile that quickly faded when he saw her._

_ She'd managed to avoid getting her clothes bloody, but her face and hands were another matter altogether. She stood straight up on the railing, black hair billowing ominously in the wind as she stared down at him. Fresh blood dripped from her mouth, face, and hands. She noticed him and looked away._

_ "I had hoped you'd be asleep when I returned," she said, jumping down and making her way inside, bringing her hand up to brush the blood from her mouth. "I'd rather you not have seen me like this,"_

_ Tobias just watched as she went to the sink and calmly washed the blood off before turning back to him with a strangely bitter look on her face. Then, without a word, she went past him, out the door and into the darkness around the house. Tobias just watched her, feeling strangely ashamed that he hadn't said anything when she clearly felt guilt that he'd seen her covered in blood like that._

_ "Damn," he muttered, "I'm an idiot, BIG TIME,"_

_ Wynter, meanwhile, sat up on the roof of the villa, staring up at the moon and wondering why she felt so guilty that he'd seen her like that. Countless humans had seen her blood lust and never before had she felt such guilt for it. So why not? Maybe because Tobias was different. He'd been treating her like a normal person this whole time, or at least been trying to, anyway. But she supposed that thinking too much wouldn't do her any good. Besides, she was finally free, for the first time in over two decades. Now, she could concentrate on finding Alucard again, wherever he was, now. For all that time, the thought of finding him again, of proving that she had survived all on her own all the tortures she'd been put through, had given her the strength she needed to go on. She could have easily allowed herself to disappear. She could have easily broken through the door if she wanted and snapped off that ridiculous silver bar they kept across the opening, stabbing it right through her heart and ending it all. But she didn't. She struggled on. The sedatives, the various drugs and medications, the silver chains, the punishments, the branding, and even the forced fights with other vampiric creatures, which she always won. All of it was her personal test to prove herself to Alucard as a true, proper vampire. _

_ But now, there was another factor to contend with. Tobias Flint, the human man who became her handler and also, her savior. She had to admit, without his help, she'd still be in that wretched place. But he was such a good person and she was just so...so...black. Her very existence was a curse. She couldn't remember her life as a human. She couldn't remember her reasons for asking Alucard to change her into a vampire. Now, most of her humanity was gone, replaced by a cold-blooded killer thirsty for human blood. How on earth was Tobias able to be so incredibly kind to her?_

_ "He's such a fool," Wynter growled to herself, hugging her knees against the cold that she barely felt, "I should just drink his blood and end his miserable existence in this horrid world. It would be an act of mercy for that boy,"_

_ And yet somehow, she found that she just couldn't do that._


	13. Thirteen

A/N: Wow, this story's almost done already. Dang. I enjoyed it, too. I'm working on the sequel now and Anderson is supposed to have a much bigger role. Hehe. I have to rely on the manga to get his accent right. The Scottish accent is probably one of the hardest I've ever attempted. At least now I know it's Scottish. For the longest time, I thought his accent was Irish! -_-; Enjoy the chapter.

Thirteen

It was around three in the morning when Integra got the call from Walter. She'd finally allowed herself to sleep for a few hours when her phone rang on her bedside table. She sat up sleepily and picked it up on the third ring.

"This is Integra," she said wearily.

"_Sir Integra, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'm afraid we've got a bit of a situation brewing,_" Walter said on the other end, his voice barely concealing his concern. Integra frowned, still partially waking up. It was her biggest pet peeve to admit how deep of a sleeper she was once she actually _got_ to sleep.

"What was that? What kind of situation?" she asked, rubbing her eyes to try to wake herself up faster.

"_It's Alucard, Sir Integra,_" Walter said weakly, "_I'm afraid that he's gone,_"

Now, Integra woke up. She bolted to her feet, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around herself in a panic. "Where is he? What's happened?" she demanded.

"_Apparently, he must received some kind of telepathic message from what I was able to deduce on my own. But he came down here suddenly demanding three new magazines of silver rounds for the Jackal and a Casull magazine, apparently to be safe. I believe that he may have received word from Wynter,_"

"That damned idiot, letting a single mistake get the best of him like that," Integra growled as she fumbled for her glasses on the table.

"_Well, it was a rather large blow to his pride, after all. You know how he is, Sir Integra,_" Walter said in Alucard's defense.

"It doesn't matter. He may be our best line of defense, but he's not fool-proof. If he makes another mistake and blows his cover, we're finished. I'll be there in ten minutes. Find Seras and inform her of the situation and then send an alert to our special ops team to assemble prepared for battle."

"_Are you sure that's wise?_"

"At this point, Alucard's forced our hand. We're left with our only choice; seek out the vampire and destroy him before Alucard fouls up the whole operation," Integra said as she grabbed a random outfit from her dresser.

"_Perhaps you're not putting enough stock in Alucard's judgment,_"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. At this point, it doesn't matter. Alucard is reacting to his failure to protect Wynter the first time and the second time. Normally he's not one to lose it this easily over anything, but he's not usually one to allow his vampiric pride to be dented this badly, either. I suppose this is a first for all of us, including him,"

"_You may be right. Very well, I'll assemble special ops team three and meet you on the grounds with Ms. Victoria in twenty minutes,_"

"Fifteen, Walter. Not a second later," Integra snapped. She hung up as she whirled to the next room to change. All the while, she continued to worry. This wasn't like him, Integra was fully aware of this. Alucard often went to great lengths to punish those who threatened both her and the organization. But as of yet, he'd never gone this far as to actually act without orders, and so brazenly at that. Integra figured that Alucard's resentment at himself for his blunt failure had been far greater than she ever expected.

Seven minutes later on the dot, Integra stalked outside where a helicopter already waited, engine warmed up for the flight to Marseilles. Walter had discovered several bases owned and operated by Von Brunswick, the main of which was located in Marseilles.

"Damn it," she hissed, "What on earth has come over him?"

"Sir Integra!"

Integra turned at Seras's voice as she approached rapidly, Harkonnen in tow.

"Seras, are you fully prepared?" Integra asked.

"Yes, but why?" Seras asked. "Walter wouldn't tell me what happened."

"Alucard has departed Hellsing. He's gone after Von Brunswick on his own," Integra said gravely.

"What? So that means he went after Wynter?"

"Yes, it does. He's forced us to play our cards and hope we hold the ace of spades. We're moving out as soon as the troops are assembled."

"They are," Seras said, "Walter sent me to tell you, but he's asked me to accompany you in his place. He told me there's still something he'd like to check on the chip they found in her arm," Seras explained.

"Very well, then. We're moving out! Seras, get in!" Integra said as she climbed in the helicopter. While Seras struggled inside with the cannon, Integra fixed the headphones over her ears, contacting Walter through the radio.

"Walter, come in," she said.

"_Sir Integra, I do apologize for my transgression against your order, but there is something I'm quite concerned about in terms of the chip discovered in Wynter's arm,_"

"Do you have any idea what it might be?" Integra asked as the pilot told them to prepare for takeoff.

"_I have my theories, but until I do a more thorough scan, I can't be certain. All I can say for sure is that the signature strikes me as familiar. I may have seen it somewhere before._"

"As soon as you're certain, let me know,"

"_Of course,_"

Integra switched the radio to a different channel connecting to the other helicopter and the radio carried by the captain. She glanced at Seras busily tinkering with the Harkonnen, but not really looking at what she was doing. Integra reached out to still the girl's hand before she hit the trigger.

"Please try to pay more attention Seras," she said quietly. Seras immediately realized what she'd been doing without thinking and shifted the cannon in her arms so that it couldn't accidentally discharge while she wasn't looking.

"Sorry, Sir Integra," she muttered.

"Try to stay calm, Seras," Integra said sternly, "After all, I did promise you that she'd be back, correct? Please don't tell me you doubt my word," she said with a slight frown in her direction.

"No, no, I don't doubt what you said! Not at all!" Seras exclaimed. Integra smiled slyly all of a sudden and Seras got the distinct feeling that she was messing with her.

"Good. I was beginning to believe I may have let my image slip," Integra said cheerfully. Seras just stared at her, bewildered.

"Well, what about you? I mean, I don't mean to pry, but aren't you worried about Alucard?"

Integra rolled her eyes inconspicuously. "Honestly, what is there to worry about? That idiot got himself in too deep and we're going to get him out. That's all," Integra said. She turned toward the window, indicating that she didn't prefer to talk about it right then. Seras fortunately understood and didn't say anything more.

Integra knew that snapping at Seras wasn't going to fix things. Alucard may really have gotten in too deep this time. That vampire Von Brunswick might nearly be as old as Alucard, one of the originals. There weren't many of them left and because of their age, they generally left the vast majority of the public alone, preferring to keep to their singular, lonely lives. Helena was one of them. Hellsing kept track of her, even though it was needless. She only fed once every three months and then it was usually people who came to cause her trouble, such as salespeople and pranksters. In a sense, she was harmless, choosing her vast array of books over the multitudes of people crowding the London streets below her windows.

But Von Brunswick was different. Clearly, he was old, at least several hundred years, but with Genevieve's appearance, he'd changed. And now, Alucard and Wynter had been shoved right into the middle of it, dragging everyone else in Hellsing in with them.

Integra swore mentally as she pondered the possible consequences.

"Go faster," she told the pilot. "We need to get there as soon as possible,"

"Yes, ma'am,"

The aircraft veered sharply to the left. It was about a one and a half hour flight to France. Integra hoped she'd make it in time.

//ooo//

It had taken nearly a day to subdue her, so fiery was her spirit. Finally, after making due with so many pathetic copies, he had her. Louis Von Brunswick leaned against the wall, his hands in the pockets of his long green cloak as he watched her. She hovered in a space of hypnotic energy a few feet off the ground, her limp body hanging in the air horizontally as she slept fitfully. Bringing her here had been a challenge. Had she still been human, the task would have been ridiculously simple. But she was undead, now, so it made it that much more difficult. But now, he could step back and admire the results. Her tenacious nature only hindered her cause. He could see that joining the ranks of undead actually made her that much more beautiful to him. Her long, flowing black hair rippled delicately in an unseen breeze within the space. He'd replaced her black cloak with a long, white gown and a string of blue glass rosary beads to assist in calming her. There was no crucifix. He'd ordered Helene to remove it. He'd also sent her out on an errand of immense proportions to keep her away for a little while.

He pushed away from the wall and approached her, gliding forward with barely a sound made. He reached through the shield of power surrounding her, keeping her subdued. His hand brushed across her face, causing her to stir slightly as the power fluctuated erratically.

"My dear Genevieve," he whispered, "Why can't you understand? I never meant to hurt you. I would do anything to please you if you would only allow me a chance. When you awaken, I'll prove this to you by introducing you to the sister you thought you lost forever."

She moaned in her sleep and tilted her head away from his touch. Louis sighed and pulled his hand away slowly, gazing down at her sadly.

"If it takes all of our eternal lives, I'll prove it to you, Genevieve," he said.

"How touching. If only she were awake to hear you,"

Louis whirled in surprise. He expected a lot of things in that split second it took to recognize who sat atop the stairs watching him. But he never expected—

"Alucard," he hissed. The red-clad vampire smirked and stood up, one hand on the banister as he made his way down.

"It seems my reputation precedes me," he said. "So you're Louis Von Brunswick, our mysterious vampire sire who's been causing so much trouble lately,"

"I suppose Genevieve told you about me before you turned her," Louis hissed, never taking his eyes off Alucard. He moved around to stand in front of Wynter, putting himself between her and the other vampire.

"She did. She was quite angry. I can't say for sure why she lost all her human memories afterward, but it probably had something to do with you," Alucard said speculatively.

"Don't try your taunting tactics on me, Alucard. I'm not like the other vampires you've fought before. I'm an original, just like you."

"Really? How interesting. I wonder, could you prove to be the worthy opponent I'm searching for?"

"I won't fight," Louis insisted. "Not if Genevieve would be put in harm's way,"

Alucard peered at him over his glasses, frowning. For the first time, he spoke with a serious tone in his voice.

"Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Really. From the way Genevieve talked about you, I'd have assumed you'd be nothing more than a stuck-up punk looking for trouble," he said with a leer.

"Well, you assumed wrong. In the many years since that day, I've spent a lot of time thinking upon my actions. I realize now that killing her family was incredibly wrong and selfish of me. I spent a lot of time and effort planning how to win her back."

"Including kidnapping her from me while she was still vulnerable and I was decapitated. I'm actually impressed that you figured out my temporary weakness. I can't move for about two minutes after my head's been cut off. Tell me, how did you manage that?"

"I can't take all the credit, Alucard," Louis said with a grin, "After all, I had help. A man named Arakawa volunteered to assist me. But from what I understand, Genevieve killed him the day she escaped the facility they took her to."

"So you were the one behind that?"

"Yes, I was the benefactor for the agency I paid to hold her for me. She was safe and cared for while I studied how to eliminate you,"

Alucard frowned. "Safe?" he repeated, pushing his glasses back, "Tell me something, Louis, were you aware of the conditions at that facility where you had her kept?"

Louis frowned. "Conditions? What do you mean?"

That was unexpected. It occurred to Alucard then that Louis Von Brunswick had only asked the agency to hold Wynter for safe keeping while he studied how to destroy him, her master. He honestly had no idea that Wynter spent twenty-four years in isolation and torture in the name of science.

Louis' eyes widened in suspicion and alarm and he cast a glance at Wynter, still sleeping in the space.

"What do you mean? Tell me!" he exclaimed, whirling back to the vampire.

"You really had no idea, did you?" Alucard said, concerned and slightly disturbed. "How they treated Wynter that entire time. She was used as a lab rat for experiments and torture for over twenty-four years. I overheard her retelling her tale some time ago, saying things such as this, that they punished her by chaining her to the roof during the daytime," he said, allowing that information to sink in. Louis shook his head, his eyes wide in horror.

"I...I had no idea," he muttered. "The monthly reports I requested continued to say...." he trailed off as he realized the truth sinking in. As though he'd completely forgotten Alucard was there, he sank to his knees, staring down at the floor.

"Is that why you created all of those fledglings?" Alucard asked.

"No," Louis answered in a broken voice, "I did that to try to replace Genevieve. But I soon realized that that wasn't possible and gave up a few weeks ago."

"You're lying," Alucard said calmly, "New fledglings have been appearing constantly that match Wynter's human form perfectly."

"I'm not lying. I seriously gave up trying. Those last three that enabled me to capture Genevieve were the final creations." Louis said. "Genevieve had an incredibly powerful spirit as a human. Back then, she'd have been called a witch. In this day and age, she'd be labeled a psychic. This power magnified at her turning, but the loss of her memories disabled her conscious knowledge of how to use it. I was seeking out girls with similar spirits, trying to recreate her," he admitted quietly.

"That's rather childish," Alucard pointed out, as he had when Walter had brought it up before.

"Maybe so, but it's all I had to go on," Louis said. Alucard scowled suddenly. Something wasn't right here. It just occurred to him that there were noticeable differences in power in the fledglings created by Von Brunswick and—

"Wait," he said, finally understanding, "So if you've ceased creating the fledgling vampires, then where are these new ones coming from?"

Louis' eyes widened in alarm. "Oh god, I think I know!" he exclaimed.

//ooo//

Walter rushed out from the basement laboratory, paper in hand containing his recent, horrifying findings on the chip implanted in Wynter's arm.

"Good god," he exclaimed to himself, "I have to report this immediately!"

As he emerged on the ground floor, he was instantly met with the barrel of a gun aimed at his face. He stopped, eying it cautiously, his eyes slowly moving toward its handler.

"May I help you?" he asked tonelessly. The man wielding the weapon said nothing. The woman behind him, however, scowled.

"Who might you be?" she asked.

She certainly didn't look threatening, but Walter had long since learned that appearances were only half the game. She was clearly Japanese and wore her stringy dark brown hair in a severe ponytail. Her colorless face seemed even more so from the stark red lipstick she wore, giving her an almost wraith-like pallor. She didn't look threatening with thick, blue framed glasses over squinting green eyes. No, she looked downright eerie.

"I believe that's my line," Walter said wearily. "Would you mind lowering your weapon, son? I'm quite sure that I'm no threat,"

"That's a good try, Angel of Death, Walter C. Dornez," the woman said, "But we're taking you into custody. Without those gloves of yours, you're effectively powerless,"

Walter just frowned, "On what charges?" he said calmly as two more men approached from behind her, moving cautiously toward him with a pair of handcuffs.

"For harboring a top secret escapee. Orders of the Japanese government," the woman said, "Take him. We'll be taking that paper, if you don't mind,"

Walter's eyes narrowed as the men moved closer and took hold of his arms. Walter waited for just the right moment.

"Get him outside as carefully as possible. We don't want him seen," the woman snapped as she turned away. She froze in alarm when she heard the strangled yells of her subordinates behind her and whirled in time to duck out of the way as the elderly butler hurried out of the passageway and down the hall, out of their reach. The soldier beside her fired off four rounds, all of which missed by miles as Walter disappeared from their sight.

"Damn it!" the woman swore, looking down the stairs. The two men had both been knocked unconscious. She didn't know how he'd done it, but apparently, the Angel of Death didn't rely on a single strategy for escape. The woman scowled, turning to her other subordinate, "Nothing but hindrances. Find him! Don't let him escape! Take down anyone you see, just don't let anyone get word to that blasted Hellsing woman!"

//ooo//

"Sir Integra, we've got trouble," the pilot said suddenly. They were just minutes from Marseilles. Integra frowned.

"What's going on?"

"Apparently, there's a warrant from the Japanese government for yours and Walter's arrests," he said, "I just caught it on our radio. Everyone in the Hellsing organization's London headquarters is to be shot on sight under suspicion of housing convicted terrorists,"

"What!?" Integra exclaimed. She fumbled for the headphones and channeled the radio to her branch's wavelength.

"Walter! Are you there? Hello? Pick up! If you're there, pick up!"

"_Is this Integra Hellsing?_" a strange, female voice said. Integra frowned.

"Who is this?" she demanded.

"_My name is Ruka Arakawa, head of the Japanese government's research division. We have a warrant for your arrest for the charges of housing convicted terrorists and you're ordered to return to London immediately,_"

"On the charges of housing terrorists? Don't you mean escaped lab rats?" Integra snapped.

"_I am under no authority to answer your assumptions, Ms. Hellsing._"

"There's no need, I can guess," Integra said, " You're Takeshi Arakawa's descendant searching for your ancestor's escaped vampire lab experiment. You intend to keep her a secret from the world by killing everyone she was involved with, am I correct?"

"_Wha? But, that— ugh, you are in no position to make ridiculous assumptions! Your headquarters have been taken over and your employees brought into custody. They'll be deported for Japan in a matter of hours and you're soon to join them!_"

Integra scowled, grinding her teeth together. Mass extermination.

"Listen here, Arakawa," she growled, "You've overstepped your authority in this country and I'll be damned if I allow myself to be ordered by a snippet of a girl who has no idea what she's gotten herself into!"

She hurled the headphones down, shutting the radio off.

"So what are your orders, Sir Integra?" the pilot called back to her.

"Proceed to Marseilles. We're going to put an end to this."

"What do you mean?" Seras asked, speaking up for the first time.

"I just realized what's really going on here," Integra said grimly, "And Von Brunswick has nothing to do with it. We need to find Alucard and Wynter. The entire English countryside will soon be overrun with vampires!"


	14. Fourteen

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Allergies are a pain and I've got them. I never had them before so it's a bit difficult. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Fourteen

_Two weeks passed. Tobias often told Wynter about things that were going on in the outside world. Wynter couldn't leave the villa and Tobias knew that the survivors from the agency would be looking for her. Fortunately, he was absolutely positive that no one lived who knew of the villa. They'd be safe there. In the meantime, Tobias focused on something big changing between them. So far, he and Wynter had spent a fair amount of time together, mainly because he was the only person she allowed to see her, much less be near her. A few friends of Tobias had visited several days before and one of them caught a brief glimpse of Wynter before she vanished. Naturally, he'd stated his shock that Tobias was living with a girl. Tobias had made up the excuse that she was his second cousin twice removed or some other crap like that and quickly shooed them away before going to find her. It didn't help he'd gotten rather angry when they started talking about her as they left. He found her sitting on top of the chimney, clacking her teeth together. _

_ Accounting for more problems, Tobias found that the majority of Janet's clothes didn't fit Wynter like he'd thought they would. As fate would have it, the clothes he'd first given her only fit because they had elastic bands and were small to begin with. Wynter was too tiny to fit into anything else, so she sometimes wore the same clothes for days on end, washing them at night in the kitchen sink while Tobias holed himself up in the living room keeping an eye on the door, waiting until she was finished and dressed again. Every time, it went the same way;_

_ "You know, it's not like you'll burst into flames if you so much as look at me," Wynter said nonchalantly._

_ "It's not proper!" Tobias would shout._

_ "There you go with that again. Listen, boy, think of it this way. Technically, I'm old enough to be your grandmother. It shouldn't be that hard to be around me when I'm washing my clothes. If you'd let me go out during the day to find a job, earn some money and buy new ones, we wouldn't be having this kind of trouble, now would we?" she'd say as she wrung her __shirt out and draped it on the coat rack behind her._

_ "You're not technically old enough to be my grandmother, Wynter," Tobias growled._

_ "Actually, yes I am. I was nineteen, going on twenty when I was turned and twenty-four years, plus three months have passed since then. In my time period, I'd be in my early forties and would have already had at least one child who by the time he or she was eighteen, would have been engaged and possibly married and had a child of their own by this point. So yes, I am old enough to be your grandmother," Wynter said smugly._

_ "You vampires are weird," Tobias grumbled._

_ "And you humans are weird. I don't think I'll ever understand your logic," Wynter said in exasperation as she fished a pin out of the drain. Tobias whirled irritably. "Hey, you were human once too!" he snapped. Wynter turned around suddenly and Tobias blushed heavily, whipping back around and folding his arms. Wynter chuckled and turned back to the sink._

_ "You're such a child. Janet must have been quite in love with you," she said._

_ "So what if she was?" Tobias growled._

_ "Stop being so defensive," Wynter said, "I'm only saying that she must have been in love with your boyish personality. It makes you quite a kind man, Tobias and I have to say, I find that rather appealing."_

_ Tobias blinked and smirked, "Really? So there is something about me you like," he said._

_ "Absolutely," Wynter said directly behind him, causing Tobias to scream in shock and topple forward into the coffee table, cracking his forehead against it. He got to his feet, clutching his head in pain, "How'd you get over here? I never even heard you!" he growled._

_ "I can move with the grace of the blowing wind, making nary a sound as my feet touch the floor," Wynter gushed as she made her way back into the kitchen. Tobias sighed heavily. She was just messing with him._

_ Finally, Wynter finished washing her clothes and stood with the window open, drying them off while they hung from the rack. Tobias watched her from the corner of his eye, thinking. Here was a girl who'd been changed into a vampire, supposedly because she asked to be. Scary, weird, eccentric, Wynter was definitely not your typical girl. So why wasn't he afraid of her? She was nothing like Janet had been; sweet, funny, thoughtful, considerate, pretty much everything Wynter wasn't. Yet somehow, Tobias felt drawn to her. Was it her status as an __inhuman monster, which made his attraction merely fascination? Or was it something else entirely? Maybe it was the fact that he could completely be himself around her and she just didn't care. Maybe it was her bold approach to life and her wild nature._

_ Wynter moved to the side, stepping into a sunbeam shining in through the window. Earlier that week, she'd gone outside at high noon, much to Tobias's horror. She'd then explained that she was a Day Walker, like her master. It was an ability she'd inherited from him. She said that while she could go out in sunlight, she couldn't remain out for too long or she got sick or badly burned._

_ Tobias heard the rustling of fabric that told him she was dressing and it was safe to get up and walk around. Well, safe for him, anyway. He could have gone and stood next to her while she washed her clothes and she wouldn't have cared. For some reason, she had absolutely no sense of modesty. Either that, or not being human made other humans seem about as important to her as a sack of potatoes._

_ "All finished," Wynter said._

_ "Hey," Tobias muttered, "I was thinking that maybe I should take you to get some new clothes. What do you think?"_

_ "What's with the change in attitude? You're always telling me it's not safe to leave the house, boy," she said mockingly._

_ "Stop calling me that! I told you, I'm twenty-eight years old! I'm going to be twenty-nine in two months!"_

_ "Yeah, yeah," Wynter grumbled, moving out onto the deck. Tobias scowled and hurried after her. She was leaning on the railing, staring out over the water as it glowed fiery orange from the sunset. Her eyes reflected the glow, taking on an ethereal shine themselves. She looked deep in thought about something and Tobias guessed what it was._

_ "You never stop thinking about him, do you?" he asked._

_ "Of course not." Wynter said, "After all, my desire to prove myself to him kept me going the entire time I was kept in the facility. I want to prove to him that I can be as powerful as he is, if not more so. I know that's impossible; he's probably the most powerful vampire in existence. But it's a nice dream to follow,"_

_ "Hey, what's he like, anyway?" Tobias asked. To his surprise, Wynter smiled, chuckling __softly. "He's kind of irritating. He's rather scary, but you just find something about him that's so respectable. He doesn't destroy human lives on a whim. When I was with him, he was helpful and taught me most of what I know now. It's thanks to him that I can fight. I got into trouble a lot, but he helped me out if he figured that I truly needed him. If he judged that I could handle it, he pretty much ignored me and I suppose it's made me stronger. I remember just one time I seriously needed him. I was under attack by a strong vampire, far too powerful to take down on my own. Just before he could kill me, master got in the way and intercepted him. It was the first time I saw master's familiars, and I remember being as terrified as I could possibly be. But he stood between me and the other vampire, preventing any attacks from getting through to hurt me. I kind of got a sense that he was showing off just a little while he fought that day, but he turned back to me once with a look that told me not to worry, even though he was saying to me that I was being pathetic. Once the enemy was killed, he turned back to me and I was so scared of him by that point that all I could do was cower in a ball. But the minute he said my name, I calmed down and looked up at him. Again, he said something, but his eyes contradicted his statement. He told me that to survive, I had to learn to fight back. But I could read that he wasn't going to tell me that for the times I couldn't fight, he'd be there to help me. Even though he ultimately failed to protect me, I still kept on believing that and I suppose I always will." Wynter said fondly._

_ Tobias watched, not understanding the sinking feeling in his heart. Wynter really did love her master. The look in her eyes told him so. He didn't really understand why he felt so dejected to realize this. This was why he didn't expect his mind to act for him._

_ "I guess...I guess you really love him, huh?" Tobias said. Wynter glanced up at him, frowning._

_ "Huh?"_

_ "I mean, you talk about him so fondly," Tobias said, tearing at a sliver of wood sticking up from the railing._

_ "Tobias, are you insinuating I'm in love with my master?" Wynter asked. "Because you're dead wrong,"_

_ "What?" Tobias said._

_ "Tobias, he created me. I lost all my human memories after I woke up and he was all I had. But he's more like a parent to me, Tobias, do you understand?"_

_ Tobias immediately felt embarrassed, big time, for assuming. He groaned and stared out at the water._

_ "Sorry," he muttered._

_ Wynter just blinked slowly. She followed his gaze to the waves crashing on the shore._

_ "I've never been to the ocean," she said. He glanced up, gazing over at her curiously._

_ "Really?"_

_ "Yeah."_

_ Tobias frowned, chewing his bottom lip in thought. Then, he hummed. "Well, how about we go down to the water? I was thinking today would be a good surfing day anyway,"_

_ "Surfing?"_

_ "Yeah, it's— well, how about I show you?"_

_ Wynter just tilted her head in confusion._

_ //ooo//_

_ Tobias waited outside the door in his shorts and a tank top, tapping his foot irritably as he sighed. "Come on, Wynter, you've been in there for twenty minutes. Just come out already."_

_ "I'm not coming out!" Wynter shouted back. "I look ridiculous! Don't tell me this is what people actually wear to the water! Jeez."_

_ "Hey, you should have seen it in my grandpa's time," Tobias joked. "You can wear that cover if you want to, but just come on already, we're burning daylight! I'd like to get some surfing in before sundown, you know,"_

_ "Why?" Wynter asked, opening the door just enough for him to see one, blazing red eye._

_ "Because the sharks like to come out just before the sun sets and it gets dangerous then," he told her._

_ "I'm changing back into my regular clothes and going that way," Wynter growled._

_ "Fine, do whatever you want," Tobias grumbled. "I don't see why it matters. You're not afraid to walk around completely naked for some reason,"_

_ "It's because I spent twenty-four years like that, nimrod," Wynter snapped out at him. __She slammed the door open, stepping out in her usual clothes. She took one look at Tobias and frowned._

_ "To think I believed that my outfit was ridiculous," she grumbled._

_ "Hey! That was uncalled for! Besides, how will you go in the water if you're wearing your clothes? It defeats the entire purpose, Wynter!"_

_ "Calm down. You're going to break a blood vessel," Wynter grumbled, heading out across the deck to the stairs. Tobias just watched as she reached back to tie a small section of her long hair back. He sighed heavily._

_ "Man, she and Janet are like night and day." he muttered to himself. By the time he got down to the water, she was off a good distance, studying a small tide pool. As he watched, she slowly climbed down the rocks, sliding into the water. Just as he'd expected, she didn't care one bit about how wet her clothes were getting. He made his way over, jabbing his board down into the sand where it stood upright._

_ "What are you looking at?" he asked. The minute he saw what was in the pool, he froze and jumped up onto the rocks, "Whoa! That's a baby shark!" he exclaimed._

_ Wynter stood with a small Tiger Shark pup swimming around and around her in tight circles. It must have gotten washed in there days before during a particularly high tide and become stranded. Wynter didn't seem a bit perturbed, even as she delicately reached into the water and grasped it gently by the head and tail. It thrashed briefly, but soon calmed._

_ "What are you going to do with it?" Tobias asked. Wynter straightened up, taking the shark with her. She guided it through the water as its mouth continued to open and close, taking water through its gills. It didn't seem the least bit frightened of its captor. Wynter carefully lifted it out of the water and leaned on her stomach against the rocks, lowering the shark pup into the ocean on the other side. Once it tasted water again, it beat its tail wildly and Wynter released it. In seconds, it was lost to sight._

_ "I've never seen anything like that," Tobias breathed to himself as Wynter waded out of the tide pool and onto the sand. She stood wringing her skirt out._

_ "I thought you wanted to get some surfing done," she said. Tobias had been staring at her again. He blushed deeply and scrambled for his board._

_ "Uh, right," he said. "Hey, do you want to come swimming?"_

_ "No," she answered bluntly. Tobias blinked, somewhat downcast. "Oh, okay," he said. "But, why not, if I may?"_

_ "I don't swim," Wynter answered. "In my day, it was considered improper for young ladies to learn to swim, as it was always assumed there would be someone there to rescue them, or something like that."_

_ "So you could drown?"_

_ "No," Wynter said, sitting down on a rock._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "I don't require air. In truth, I could go underwater and stay down for the entire day if I chose to," Wynter said, crossing one leg over the other and folding her hands, staring at him. Damn, those red eyes gave him the creeps._

_ "Okay," he said, "I'll go surf a bit and then we can go back inside. I sent out for some transfusion blood from a friend of mine. It should be arriving here in a bit,"_

_ He headed for the water. Wynter contented herself with watching him as he floated on his board about thirty feet from shore, watching the waves rolling in. When one large one approached him, she was surprised as he actually stood up on the board, steering it deftly along the crest of the wave. He jumped off the board and into the water once the wave died down, turned and then waved at her on the shore. Wynter surprised herself by actually waving back somewhat limply, glancing at her hand in confusion._

_ Tobias waited for another wave, casting glances at Wynter sitting on the rock. He couldn't understand why his heart pounded whenever he looked at her. He was almost afraid that he was probably falling for her. Having her around wasn't quite like it had been when Janet was alive, but it wasn't as lonely anymore. Besides, there was just something about Wynter that he found rather appealing. Maybe it was the fact that she knew virtually nothing about the world he'd released her into and she relied on his teaching to survive. Or maybe it was her apparent gentle nature she kept hidden, a good example being what she did with the shark a short while ago._

_ He shook his head and concentrated as another wave came his way, this one larger and wider than before. He grinned in anticipation, turning his board and allowing the wave to take him up as he balanced upright. Janet had never been able to do this correctly, no matter how much he taught her. She just wasn't an outdoorsy type._

_ He glanced back at Wynter. She was on her feet, watching him. But to his surprise, he saw that her face showed an expression of pure horror. At first, he didn't understand, but when his board suddenly erupted out of the water and he was sent flying into the raging wave, he got it._

_ It was a shark._

_ Wynter gasped sharply as a dark shape burst out of the water, grabbing Tobias's surfboard in its jaws. Wynter knew it was a shark, but she had no idea what kind of shark it was. Tobias was attached to a clear line tied to his board so he couldn't lose it. But as the shark dove with a piece of the board still in its jaws, Tobias was dragged down into the water._

_ "Tobias!" she screamed, hurtling forward and straight into the water. The powerful wave hindered her movements, but she pushed deeper and deeper, feeling her heart hammer in terror. It had been so long since she'd felt this afraid. In fact, she was sure she hadn't been this frightened since the day she was taken away from Alucard._

_ "Tobias!" she called desperately, floating above the water and turning around, searching him out, "Tobias! Tobias, answer me!"_

_ She ducked beneath the water, catching a glimpse of something swimming away into the gloom of the deeper water near the drop off. In its wake, she spotted Tobias, slowly floating up toward the surface, seemingly unhurt, but clearly unconscious. Kicking powerfully on a whim, she dove deeper, desperate to reach him before the shark came back, if it decided to. She grasped Tobias around the waist, hauling him up to the surface with every ounce of strength she had. She broke the surface, balancing him against her shoulder to keep his head above the water as she pushed against the current back toward the beach._

_ "Tobias! Wake up!" she gasped. Her feet scraped the bottom, a jagged piece of coral slicing through her foot. Even through the water, she could smell her blood seeping out. It was actually quite painful, but she hauled them both out of the water, limping along the sand until they were a good distance away. Wynter knew nothing about sharks, was fairly positive they couldn't come out of the water, but wasn't about to take a chance. She lay him down on his back, leaning over him to listen for his heartbeat. To her relief, she could hear it beating faintly. She shook him gently, "Tobias, wake up," she called, "Come on, wake up!"_

_ Tobias coughed violently all of a sudden, freeing the water trapped in his lungs. He groaned and opened his eyes. "Man, what a wallop," he muttered. His gaze fell on Wynter, staring down at him worriedly. He frowned. "What am I doing here? I thought I was in the water,"_

_ "You idiot," Wynter hissed, knocking her fist hard against his head. Tobias yelled, bolting up and clutching his head in pain, "Hey, what the heck was that for!?"_

_ "For making me worry, you moron! Do you realize you could have died out there if I hadn't gone in after you?" she shrieked. Tobias froze, staring hard at her in disbelief._

_ "You mean...you saved me?" he asked._

_ "Of course I saved you! What, did you think I was just going to sit by and let you drown?" Wynter snapped. "I'm a vampire, we're cruel monsters, right? Wrong!"_

_ "I never said that, Wynter! I just can't believe you saved me," he said quietly. "Thank you,"_

_ Wynter turned away, her hair covering her face. "Yeah, well, whatever," she growled, getting to her feet and facing the water, arms folded. Tobias peered up at her curiously._

_ "Wynter, what's wrong?" he asked._

_ "Nothing," she replied, her voice strangely cracked. Tobias frowned, getting shakily to his feet as he approached her. "Wynter, are you okay?"_

_ "I'm fine, just go away!"_

_ "Wynter, what—"_

_ He froze when she whirled suddenly and he saw the blood streaming from her eyes. He gasped and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her around to face him, "Wynter! Are you hurt? What happened? You're bleeding!" he exclaimed._

_ Wynter just made a bitter face, not looking at him. "I'm not hurt, Tobias," she grumbled._

_ "Then what's with the blood?" Tobias exclaimed just as it dawned on him. Yes it was blood, but she wasn't hurt; she was simply a vampire._

_ She was crying._

_ "Wynter," he said softly, "Were you that worried about me?"_

_ She brushed the blood away with a sharp, 'humph!'. "So what if I was?" she growled. "You humans are so incredibly weak, you know. That shark should have been nothing,"_

_ Tobias couldn't help but smile. He now believed he understood what he found so appealing about Wynter._

_ "I never really realized how shy you are," he said._

_ "What?" Wynter snapped in bewilderment. "Shy? Where on earth did you get that idea?"_

_ "You're so defensive. You snap at me every single time I compliment you or try to strike up a conversation. Either that, or you belittle me and I doubt you realize you're doing it. Seriously, how come you're so shy?"_

_ "I am not shy!" Wynter exclaimed, whipping away from him, crossing her arms. Tobias watched her for a second before smirking suddenly. Wynter shrieked as he gathered her up against him in a tight hug while she flailed furiously to get away._

_ "Put me down! Let go of me, damn it! Stop!"_

_ "See, I knew it! You're shy! In the very least, you won't admit that you're embarrassed, Wynter," he said, slackening his grip around her. Wynter ceased struggling briefly and sighed. Tobias frowned._

_ "Hey, that's not a bad thing. It's kind of what I like about you," he said without really meaning to._

_ "What?"_

_ Tobias let her go and she turned to look at him. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess I see you as a puzzle I need to solve. If I can figure you out, it'll be kind of like I won a contest, or something," he said._

_ "Tell me something, do you try to win girls over with dorky compliments like that very often?" Wynter growled. Tobias chuckled and scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess that was a little dorky," he said. "But, come on, I can try, right?"_

_ Wynter smiled, "Sure, Tobias, in your dreams, you can. But remember, I'm a vampire. Stupid human compliments won't faze me," she said._

_ "Yeah, like I can forget that," Tobias said. "So then, tell me, what did you think of my surfing?" he asked slyly. Wynter regarded him blankly, not the response he'd been hoping for._

_ "I don't know. I was too busy watching you fall off the board," she answered._

_ Ouch._

_ "Okay then," Tobias said, "Seeing how I was able to pin you, think I'm any match for you?"_

_ "Tobias, there's a difference between strength and surprise," Wynter said. "Work that out before you consider trying again," _

_ She made her way up toward the house without looking back. Tobias watched her go, feeling strangely bereft at the same time._

_ //ooo//_

_ That evening, Tobias found her standing out on the deck, a chilly storm front blowing in from the west and ripping through her hair as she stood motionless, watching it move in. Tobias pulled his coat closer and made his way out to stand beside her. She didn't notice him until he was right there and it was then that he saw the red tears streaming down her face once again. Wynter jumped in alarm, racing to brush them away before he saw, knowing it was futile._

_ "Wynter, what's wrong?" Tobias asked carefully._

_ "Nothing's wrong! Just-just leave me alone!" Wynter snapped._

_ "Wynter, what were you thinking about?" Tobias asked, able to guess on his own what it probably was. Wynter appeared hesitant to tell him, but it was clear she wanted to talk about it._

_ "You know," he said, "You can talk to me if you need to,"_

_ Wynter didn't reply. She placed her hands on the railing "It's nothing," she muttered, "I was just thinking about the last day I saw him,"_

_ "You mean the day you were taken away?"_

_ "Yeah," Wynter said, "I'd never been more afraid than I was that day. But perhaps it was for the best."_

_ "How so?"_

_ She held up a hand, staring at her palm absently, "I'm still connected to him. Vampires drink the blood of their sires in order to free themselves permanently from them. Having been forced away, I've since learned to drink blood of my own free will, despite my lingering connection to him. But I'm not free, not by a long shot. I'm powerful and can survive on my own, but I'm still scared as to how powerful my lingering rage could make me become should I free myself,"_

_ "Rage?" Tobias asked. Wynter sighed._

_ "I suppose you have a right to know. I don't remember anything of my time as a human. Only that I desired revenge, apparently over the deaths of my family members. I asked Alucard to turn me so that I could become powerful enough to take down the man who killed my family. But for some reason, once I woke up, I couldn't remember anything of my past. Alucard's theory is that my thirst for vengeance gave me the power I desired, but that it wiped my memories so as not to abuse it. I don't know. I just don't remember anything,"_

_ She clenched her fist and sighed again, this time with apparent weariness._

_ She gasped sharply when he suddenly pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair comfortingly, "It's fine," he said, "So what if you don't remember? Maybe you forgot it because you were given another chance," he said._

_ But Wynter wasn't listening. She was staring at his neck, feeling that horribly familiar gnawing within her, the same burning in her throat that signaled her thirst. And his pulse was just inches away. Barely tangible. Wynter opened her mouth slightly on reflex, revealing her fangs without thinking._

_ Tobias was suddenly thrown backward as Wynter stepped back sharply, gasping, her pupils dilated. She covered her mouth with both hands, willing her thirst back under control. Tobias frowned and stepped forward, reaching cautiously toward her._

_ "Wynter, what—" he said. She lashed out violently, slapping him across the face all of a sudden. Tobias stood, stunned as he turned to look at her, pressing his hand against his face. His face stung furiously, a red whelp already forming. Wynter stood, her eyes blazing._

_ "Don't. Ever. Do that. Again!" Wynter hissed menacingly, her face terrifying and demonic all of a sudden._

_ "Wynter, what...what did I do?" Tobias asked, an intense feeling of guilt and almost betrayal welling up inside him._

_ "Idiot, do you know how close I just came to sinking my fangs into your neck!? If I had, I wouldn't have stopped until you were dead or dying, in which case, the only way to save you would have been to turn you! You're an idiot! I'm a vampire! You should know better!"_

_ "Wynter—"_

_ "Save it." Wynter snarled, whirling around into the darkness. She vanished from view and Tobias made no move to stop her. He knew, somewhere deep inside, he knew she was right. He'd made a mistake in what he did and could have easily paid with his life._

_ He sighed, scratching his forehead absently._

_ "Damn, Tobias, you're an idiot, idiot, idiot,"_

//ooo//

Louis continued to shake his head in disbelief while Alucard shifted his gaze from him to Wynter, still unconscious in the space. But now, something was different. Her face was contorted in pain, blood streaming from her eyes as she dreamed. She moaned in her sleep and at the same time, the air around the space began to crackle furiously, producing blue charges that jumped across it like lightning strikes. Louis turned in alarm and jumped to his feet.

"It can't be...she's breaking the seal!" he exclaimed.

"Tell me, what exactly did you bind her with?" Alucard asked.

"A seal made from the tears of Hell," Louis explained. "It's an old spell I found decades ago. It's supposed to be unbreakable,"

"Well," Alucard said wryly, adjusting his glasses, "I'd say that you were misinformed,"

Wynter's cries grew louder as the seal grew more and more fragile.

"Just out of curiosity, what should happen if she breaks free?" Alucard asked him.

"It would be nothing short of catastrophic," Louis said, barely concealing his anxiety for Genevieve's safety, "She's unable to awaken as long as the seal stands. But in her current state, she'll begin to subconsciously panic, releasing all of her power in one exponential wave,"

"And the damage ratio?" Alucard said disinterestedly.

"I'd estimate it to be around seven square miles," Louis said weakly. "In effect, most of France would be leveled. But if what I'm theorizing is true, then there's something that's even worse,"

"Let me take a shot at it," Alucard said, "All of her power is purely vampiric in nature and many thousands of humans will die, their life force and blood spilling out to be absorbed by her subconsciously. As a result, this will create thousands of ghouls stalking the countryside, am I correct?"

"Precisely," Louis answered.

"Is there any way to prevent it?"

"I don't know how to stop it from this point. We only have to keep her asleep until I can figure something out," Louis said.

"Is it possible for an outside party to reach her through the seal?"

"Yes, but why? Do you have an idea?" Louis asked.

"Possibly. Of course, should I fail then I'll see you in Hell," he said with a smirk. He reached up, removing his glasses and stepping forward to the space. He reached his hand through the seal, placing it over Wynter's forehead. The seal crackled viciously and Alucard visibly winced, which surprised Louis. Alucard gently opened one of Wynter's eyes. It was blazing red and dilated. As Louis watched, Alucard lowered his head slightly, staring straight into her open eye. Louis drew a sharp breath when the seal began to cease its fluctuations and Wynter gradually relaxed until Alucard stepped back. She sighed and returned to a normal sleep, calm once again. Alucard staggered back, clutching his scorched arm.

"I believe you might have been given the incorrect spell," he grunted, "Seeing how there's no possible way for this seal to be from Hell. It's too pure. Reminds me of Anderson's blessed blades,"

"What did you do?" Louis exclaimed.

"It's a type of hypnosis sometimes referred to as 'evil eye'. I simply calmed her down, that's all," he said with a smirk, replacing his glasses.

"You...you really are the Vampire King, aren't you?" Louis exclaimed in wonder.

"Really? Is that what they call me?" Alucard said with a leer. Louis could see the slyness in his eyes through the glasses. He frowned, moving over to Wynter and gazing down at her sadly.

"I never meant for things to go so wrong," he muttered, more to himself than to Alucard. "I only wanted...only wanted...."

He trailed off, shaking his head in hopeless frustration. Alucard's eyes narrowed as something twinged on the back of his mind, threatening to bring forth buried memories before he banished them again. There was no sense recalling the past now. Besides, Wynter needed help right now. He wasn't about to fail again when his fledgling needed him.

"To...," Wynter mumbled, causing both of the vampires to stare at her curiously.

"She spoke," Louis said quietly.

"To...bi...as...."

Alucard recalled his conversation with Integra and he frowned.

Tobias Flint.


	15. Fifteen

A/N: From here, the flashbacks end. The story's almost done, but I'm feeling a little under the weather right now so I'm going to cut it short here. Enjoy.

Fifteen

_It had been a month since Tobias brought Wynter to his villa to protect her from the remaining agency members he figured were probably still searching for her. In the meantime, despite Wynter's warning before, Tobias understood things between them were changing. Wynter seemed more...how should he put it? Docile around him nowadays than she'd been the first few days. She'd taken to sleeping indoors now, though she insisted on sleeping beneath the guest room's bed rather than on top of it. Tobias figured it had something to do with her vampiric nature. She'd also started hunting late at night so as not to upset him, sometimes coming home after no luck and going to sleep still thirsty. Tobias knew that these failed hunts were taking a toll on her, as she sometimes slept for hours later than she always meant to. It worried him, but he knew there was nothing he could do to sway her._

_ On nights like that very night, a month and three days after he released her, he found her standing on the balcony watching the sun set. She'd been avoiding him for several days. She'd also been acting rather melancholy and depressed and he wanted to know if he'd done something to offend her._

_ "Wynter," he called. She turned slightly at her name, but didn't look at him._

_ "What is it?" she asked gloomily._

_ Tobias had wanted to ask her about her change in attitude toward him, but at the look in her eyes, sad, tired, and almost wistful, he lost the nerve to. Instead, he sighed and smiled._

_ "Remember those cliffs I told you about? The ones that I was pretty sure only I knew about?"_

_ "Yes, I remember," Wynter said._

_ "Uh, how about I show you the place?"_

_ Wynter's eyes flickered, but she shrugged. "Fine,"_

_ The cliffs he spoke of could be seen from the balcony, but were a considerable distance from the villa. Tobias's grandfather had had an observation deck installed for safety reasons, __as the cliffs were made of clay and therefore, quite fragile. There was a narrow dirt path leading up there and Tobias guided the two of them up, casting occasional glances back at Wynter. The path was steep, but she showed no inclination of fatigue as she followed him. She just stared blankly ahead, her eyes glowing brighter as the forest around them grew thicker. Soon, with the coming darkness and with almost no light save for the moon above them filtering through the canopy, her eyes were red dots against black behind him. It sent shivers racing up his spine._

_ "Are you scared of something?" she asked all of a sudden. "Your heart is pounding,"_

_ He forgot she could sense that._

_ "Well, to tell you the truth, it's kinda your eyes," he admitted lamely._

_ "I can close them if you want," Wynter suggested._

_ "Then you wouldn't see where you were going," Tobias argued. Wynter smirked, chuckling._

_ "Not to worry. I'm hyper sensitive to my surroundings. I could walk any countryside blindfolded and know where almost everything is," she said._

_ Tobias slipped multiple times on the slippery rocks and he often expected to hear Wynter struggling as well. But he never did. In fact, she maneuvered the steep terrain like a mountain goat, never slipping once. He found himself a little jealous, but relieved that she wasn't going to fall._

_ They reached the stone observation deck after a half hour of climbing and by then, it was already pitch black. The moon above them was nearly full and illuminated the immediate area around them. Below, the waves crashed mercilessly upon the rocky shoreline, revealing vicious, jagged rocks lining the bottom about eighty feet down. Tobias wandered over to the railing and peered over, whistling._

_ "What a drop," he said. He turned back to Wynter and smiled. "Come on," he said, "It's fine,"_

_ Wynter came over slowly, gazing out at the water below. In the moonlight, the stark redness of her eyes had dimmed slightly and she again appeared slightly more normal. She went to the railing and leaned over._

_ "It's pretty far down," she said._

_ "Yeah. That's why grandad put this railing up. Two construction workers fell to their deaths here," he said. "Oh, don't lean over so far. I doubt even a vampire could survive this fall," he said, smiling. Wynter glowered at him._

_ "Jeez, you're an idiot," she muttered. She hoisted herself up onto the railing and sat down, swinging her legs over the edge. "I'm perfectly fine," she said._

_ "Please Wynter, I'd rather you didn't. This railing has only been here for six years but it's already so rusty because of the salt air. It could snap off or—"_

_ As he spoke, the railing began to creak ominously. Wynter only had time to glance down at it in surprise before it completely cracked in two from even her delicate weight. As Tobias watched in horror, Wynter tumbled from the railing and into the darkness below, without so much as even a scream._

_ "Wynter!!" Tobias shouted, rushing to the railing and reaching over futilely. He couldn't believe it. First his parents and Janet, and then Susan, and now Wynter!_

_ "No," he murmured, shaking his head, "No, no, no!"_

_ He collapsed on his knees, burying his face in his hands._

_ There was a sound of rushing wind, almost beating, like wings. Tobias looked up in surprise just in time to see an enormous black shape tear through the air straight up above him, hovering for a second or two and then coming to a gentle landing a few feet away from him on the deck. Tobias felt the breath hitch in his throat as Wynter ruffled her jet black feathers, folding her wings back like a bird would, resting perpendicularly from each other on her back. She sighed and shook her head._

_ "I guess you weren't kidding. That is quite a drop. I had to dive for about a minute before the wind finally caught my wings,"_

_ She gasped sharply suddenly when Tobias threw his arms around her, sobbing._

_ "You're okay! I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed. Wynter scowled and tried to push him away._

_ "Get off me! Stop it, what the heck is wrong with you?" she snapped._

_ "Stop it!" Tobias barked, shocking her into silence. "Just stop it,"_

_ "Wha...?"_

_ "I know you're a vampire, Wynter. I know you obviously could save yourself if you had to. But I'm human,"_

_ Wynter blinked in confusion. "And what's that mean?"_

_ Tobias pushed her back, scowling angrily, "That means that I think like a human! When I see someone fall off a cliff for an eighty-foot drop to a crushing death on the rocks down there, I act like a human and panic, thinking I've lost that person for good! You're a vampire, so you think it's no big deal to fall from that height knowing you'll likely survive because you're already dead! For a second there, I thought I'd really lost you, too," he said, his voice cracking. Wynter just frowned and shook her head._

_ "But Tobias, you didn't. I'm right here," she said quietly._

_ "Yeah, because you're a vampire. What would have happened if you were human?"_

_ Wynter looked away, feeling somewhat ashamed for her behavior. "I'd have died," she said. "Most likely on impact or otherwise, impalement on the rocks below,"_

_ "Exactly," Tobias said, disregarding her words from before as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "Don't ever scare me like that again,"_

_ Wynter just stared ahead in shock. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so...so...ashamed for thinking the way her kind thought in humanly life-threatening situations? So she'd fallen sixty feet before taking flight, it didn't matter to her. She could have fallen a thousand feet before spreading her wings and it wouldn't have mattered. But with Tobias, it was different. He was human, so he thought like a human. He thought that she died— again._

_ "Tobias," she muttered, "I'm...I'm sorry for scaring you. I'm a vampire and I reacted how any vampire would react in a life or death situation for most humans. You just reacted like any human would,"_

_ "And that's what I hate," Tobias growled. He pulled away from her and moved over to the railing, brushing his hand against the broken spot. Wynter frowned._

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "I hate being so frail. I tried to protect you, Wynter. But you've been the one protecting me. I mean, lets' be realistic here; if the agency really tried to find you again, there wouldn't be a goddamned thing I could do about it!" he yelled, smashing his fist against the stone base of the metal railing. Wynter reached out to try to stop him, but he continued._

_ "I tried to release you back at the facility because I thought you were an ordinary, __brainwashed girl they'd kept there for no good reason. Well, I've seen why they kept you in there firsthand, Wynter. You're terrifying."_

_ Wynter sighed heavily. But Tobias wasn't finished. "You're the essence of terror, yet you're only trying to exist as a vampire. All you want is to be reunited with the master you were stolen from. I thought that if I could free you, I could help you find him and so did Susan. And what happened? They killed her, too."_

_ He paced back and forth. Wynter watched helplessly._

_ "So I let you out and instead of protecting you, you end up saving my skin by slaughtering everyone that Arakawa and Travis brought in to try to capture you again. I mean seriously, that's messed up!"_

_ "Tobias—"_

_ "And then, to top it all off, I get attacked by a freaking shark and who comes to my rescue? You do. Against your better judgment, I'm sure, but you saved me. I'm just a human! A weak, fragile human! Ugh! Damn it!"_

_ He ran his hand through his hair and leaned on the railing with a sigh. Wynter hummed, one hand gripping her wrist in discomfort. The silence was awkward and heavy. Wynter understood his frustration, for she'd often thought things similar to his words during the time she spent with Alucard, always wishing she could at least protect herself and half the time, being unable to. _

_ "You know, master Alucard used to tell me stories about vampires who lived centuries ago," she said. Tobias glanced up at her curiously._

_ "He did?"_

_ "Yeah. Because of my anxiety as a result of memory loss, I had difficulty sleeping. It annoyed him to no end that I couldn't be alone to fall asleep for the first few weeks, but he stayed with me. To help me sleep, he'd tell me stories about the years he'd seen. He's an incredibly aged vampire, you know. He said that vampires weren't always such vicious threats on people. Even back before Alucard existed, he said there were vampires wandering the countryside, in harmony with humans. Once in a while, a human would go missing, food for the vampire. But the humans never gave a terribly large amount of thought to it. But gradually, the number of vampires began increasing and my kind grew fearful as the humans began to __hunt them down. Originally, vampires treated humans with respect, keeping their distance whenever possible and only feeding when thirsty, never otherwise. But soon, it became clear that humans realized what we were and sought to destroy us. Eventually, it became a genetic memory in our kind; kill humans or be killed by humans. We don't know anything else anymore, those few true Nosferatu who still walk this earth. My master is one of few original vampires remaining who still remembers the old way of life. He taught me to respect the humans' willpower and spirit. He taught me to only kill when threatened or thirsty and to leave humans alone when none of the above apply. Even though I was only with him for a month, he taught me so much to go on and I've tried to live by it ever since."_

_ Wynter paused, turning out toward the water. "But occasionally, my instincts are never enough. Fight or flight become two options that aren't readily available to me. It's true that vampires are becoming scarcer and scarcer these days and I'm scared of that. I'm scared that I'll end up all alone in the world. During my time in the agency, I was forced to fight and kill other vampiric creatures. Young girls given some kind of drug that made them believe they were vampires. Others like me, fledglings stolen away from their masters. If I wanted to live, I killed them. One reason I wish to see Alucard again, even though I don't really need to, is to convince myself that I'm not alone in the world. The agency wanted to kill me because I have the potential to become powerful. Because of this, for the most part, I despise humans."_

_ She turned to him, smiling faintly, "But you, Tobias, you're different. This entire time we've spent together, you tried to treat me like you would anyone else, vampire or not. I feel at ease around you and that's saying something for me. Don't you get it? You don't need to protect me, Tobias. You only need to be there with me and I'm happy enough. I probably don't say this as often as I should have, but you do mean quite a bit to me,"_

_ Tobias clenched his fists and shook his head, "So what happens to you if I should die?" he asked. "Wynter, so what if what you're saying is true? I'm still a fragile human. I can't really do anything for you,"_

_ Wynter sighed and turned away, closing her eyes. "Tobias, you're giving me an impossible question. So long as you're human, there's nothing to be done for your fragility," she said. That's when it dawned on her what Tobias was asking. She drew a sharp, horrified breath and whirled. "No! No, absolutely not! No!" she yelled._

_ "Wynter, turn me into one of your own! Please!" Tobias begged, approaching cautiously. "If I became a vampire, I could protect you as well as be there for you. Also...also, I'd be ageless, like you. I'd never have to leave you again. We could spend as many years as it takes searching for your master, together. Please, Wynter,"_

_ "No, Tobias. Do you have any idea what kind of life this is? A constant, burning thirst that can't be slaked no matter how much water you may drink. Being able to smell peoples' blood and realize for the first time that humans are prey. Always on the run from the church and professional demon hunters and even other vampires! I won't do that to you, Tobias," Wynter said sadly. Tobias stepped forward, pulling her into his arms while she protested desperately._

_ "Please, Wynter. For the first time since I lost Janet, I've found something to live for. Please."_

_ Wynter continued to shake her head even as she smelled the sweet scent of his blood pulsing through his neck. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to pull away from him, but strangely unable to._

_ "But Tobias, I can't. I'm still bound to my master as a fledgling. I can't turn you,"_

_ "Wynter, I'm begging you. You know as well as I do that even if we escape the agency, you'll go on as you are forever while I grow old and die. You'll be left alone again! I don't want that! Please!"_

_ Wynter felt torn. She knew that he was right; that eventually, he'd die like all humans did and if they hadn't found her master again by that time, she'd be all alone. But she also knew what a hell the life of a vampire was. How could she condemn him to that life?_

_ "Tobias, you have no idea what it means to be a vampire," Wynter mumbled._

_ "I don't care. Wynter, please do this for me," Tobias muttered._

_ Wynter realized there was no talking him about of it. "Tobias, you're a fool and you always will be," she mumbled, opening her mouth and revealing her fangs. She hesitated, however, "Are you sure you want me to do this? Once I bite down, there's no turning back. It's all or nothing," she said._

_ "I'm sure, Wynter,"_

_ Tobias braced himself, gasping when he felt her sharp fangs pierce his skin. He could feel it as she literally sucked the life force away from him, feeling his limbs become cold and heavy as his strength left him. A few minutes passed and he felt himself being lowered gently to the ground. He heard her voice, misty and muffled from somewhere far off in the distance, felt something warm drip onto his lips, but didn't quite register it entirely._

_ He heard her talking some more, but it seemed more distant now. He could feel himself slowly slipping into blackness._

_ //ooo//_

_ Tobias jolted awake with a gasp, his eyes snapping open. He blinked several times. Had his vision suddenly improved? He reached up and rubbed his eyes, opening them again to see Wynter gazing down at him with an expression of concern and sadness. She smiled faintly._

_ "You're awake," she muttered. He realized that he was lying on the ground with his head in her lap. She was watching him patiently that whole time. He sat up slowly and groaned, suddenly remembering what happened. He quickly ran his finger across his teeth, pulling away when he felt something sharp._

_ Fangs._

_ He stood up dizzily. Wynter got to her feet and grabbed his arm, steadying him._

_ "Take it easy," she said quietly, "You just woke up. You've been unconscious for four hours, now. Your transformation was difficult,"_

_ "I remember a burning pain," Tobias said woozily, "Like I was being burned alive,"_

_ "It was probably the turning of your body," Wynter said, "But like I told you, I'm still a fledgling myself. I don't know much about being a vampire, much less how to teach you to be one,"_

_ Tobias glanced at her, noticing his reflection in her eyes. He could see his own red eyes staring back at him._

_ "So," he mumbled, "I'm not human anymore, am I?"_

_ "No, you're not," Wynter said quietly. "You're just like me,"_

_ "I'm a vampire?" Tobias said._

_ "Yes. You're an undead being. But Tobias, while you're nearly indestructible by human __means, being undead presents a whole new field of danger. For instance, silver is deadly to you. I'm a Day Walker, meaning I can tolerate sunlight to a certain extent. I got this ability from Alucard, but it's been watered down in me. He can be in the sunlight as easily as moonlight and never even feel it, even though he claims to hate it. I can get sick or badly burned if I stay in it for too long. I have no way of knowing what your tolerance for it is, if you even have the ability. Most blessed artifacts are dangerous for our kind. Tobias, you may be in even greater danger now than you were as a human. But there's no going back from here on in," she said._

_ Tobias took hold of her shoulders, staring hard into her eyes, "Wynter, listen. I chose this, right? So whatever happens is my own fault, you understand?"_

_ "Yeah," she muttered. "But you realize this is only the beginning. How do you feel?"_

_ "Actually, I'm really thirsty. How about we head back and I can make us some tea or some—"_

_ He froze, remembering what she'd said. Wynter shook her head._

_ "Nothing short of fresh blood will quench that thirst, Tobias. Do you understand what I meant before when I told you I was often tempted to drink my own blood if only to slake it for a short while?"_

_ Tobias stared at her in horror. So this is what she meant. He had to admit, it wasn't pleasant. He cleared his throat and looked away._

_ "So, what should I do?"_

_ Wynter smiled sadly. "What else? It's time to teach you to hunt," she said._

_ As they made their way back down the path, Tobias realized that he wasn't slipping nearly as much as he had on the way up. In fact, the path felt smooth, as though he were walking on a flat road. He also noticed that even the faintest moonlight was as bright as daylight. He could pick out a tiny mouse sitting on a log fifty feet away. What really freaked him out was that he could see the tiny seed the mouse was eating._

_ "You'll notice your senses are sharper," Wynter said, "For whatever reason, when you become undead, your natural abilities increase exponentially. But for the moment, you need blood."_

_ "Not human blood?" Tobias said warily._

_ "Master brought me a lamb to practice on for my first taste," she explained._

_ "Uh...."_

_ "I'll admit, I disliked it at first. It's an acquired taste, he told me. I suppose the transition was easier for me because I couldn't remember any human morals that might have prevented me from drinking. This is because I couldn't remember being human. In my mind, I'd always been a vampire. You see, Tobias, we are true Nosferatu, true children of the night. There aren't many of us left right now, at least not in this part of the country. I'd estimate a few thousand of us remaining in Europe alone."_

_ "That few?" Tobias exclaimed._

_ "Yes. It's due to a group I'd heard formed recently, the Hellsing Organization. They have several branches, but the main one is located in London and protects country and Queen from demonic threats. I'm constantly afraid that my master might have gotten wound up in their matters."_

_ "Are they a danger to us?"_

_ "We're in Japan, aren't we?" Wynter asked._

_ "Yes, right on the coastline. Across the sea is China," Tobias explained._

_ "Then they are no danger to us as we are now. But there are other demon hunters fixated here. Now that there are two of us, we need to be careful."_

_ "Not to change the subject, but you mentioned I may or may not have the ability to walk in sunlight. How do we test that?"_

_ "It may cost you an arm," Wynter said bluntly. "If you're truly affected by sunlight, your arm will deaden,"_

_ "You mean I'll burst into flames!?" Tobias shouted in alarm._

_ "No. Don't be an idiot, Tobias, those old myths are just garbage. Vampires don't burst into flames when they come in contact with sunlight. The sun's power will simply scorch the undead skin and from there, pretty much cook the body from the inside out. It's because we lost immunity to the sun's power when we became undead. Human skin is incredibly tough and durable. However, this durability is lost upon death. In mine and master's cases, we retained some immunity and it protects us, as well as offers a powerful advantage. But I don't know what your level of immunity is. In the best case scenario, you'll withstand sunlight like I do with minimal damage involved. In the worst case scenario, you'll lose the use of the arm you test it with. It's as simple as that,"_

_ Tobias swallowed nervously._

_ As they rounded the edge of the cliff and caught sight of the villa, Wynter frowned, scenting the air cautiously. She froze with a sharp breath._

_ "Tobias, stop," she ordered. "I smell smoke,"_

_ "Smoke?" Tobias exclaimed in alarm. "From where?"_

_ Wynter's eyes narrowed dangerously, the red blazing. "From your home," she said._

_ "No! What's happened?" Tobias yelled, bolting forward. Wynter lashed out to grab him, but he slipped away from her, taking off down the side of the cliff toward the shore._

_ "Tobias, you fool, stop!" Wynter screamed. She hurried after him with little regard to the danger that lay in wait._

_ Tobias scrambled clumsily down the cliff face and landed just as clumsily on the sand, staring in horror at the blazing inferno that had been his home._

_ "No," he muttered, shaking his head, "No! The pictures!"_

_ He dashed forward as Wynter leaped from the final rock onto the sand, just in time to see him disappear into the flames. "Tobias!" she shrieked, "Stop!"_

_ Normally, even as a vampire, fire wasn't an incredible weakness. In fact, it was often essential for healing near-fatal wounds inflicted to them. But it wasn't the fire that sent her into a panic; it was the sight of several humans dressed in black approaching from both sides. It was a trap and Tobias had fallen right in. He'd rushed inside the get the pictures of his grandfather, his parents, and Janet._

_ "Go!" one of the men declared, ushering his comrades in. Wynter knew that even though they had no way of knowing Tobias was a vampire now, they still had ways of dealing with him. They were most likely survivors from the agency, having regrouped their numbers over the past month and come to apprehend Wynter and Tobias. Once they realized that the lead bullets did nothing to Tobias, they'd realize she'd turned him and would resort to their silver stakes created for the sole purpose of keeping him at bay while the fire did its work._

_ Wynter's instincts were going haywire; rush in and save her fledgling Tobias, or remain on the relative safety of the beach and hope he made it out okay. Fight or flight. Now, neither choice was good. If she fought, she could end up dead. If she took flight, she might escape, but Tobias would almost certainly die._

_ Finally, Wynter made her choice. She reached back, tearing a hole through the back of her shirt to allow her wings more room to move. Then, with a rush of wind and a shower of black feathers, she spread her wings to their full length, flapping them once and lifting into the air. She opened her mouth and let out a shrill, unearthly shriek in their direction, effectively startling them out of alignment. One man aimed his rifle and fired. Three bullets lodged themselves in her right wing and shoulder, but she couldn't have cared less as she dove, fangs bared as she ripped off the man's arm in a single, well-placed slash. He toppled over with a scream as Wynter soared over their heads, diving head first through the window into the burning building. She tumbled over once, getting to her feet and using her wings to beat the flames into submission while she searched for Tobias._

_ "Tobias!" she screamed over the roar of the flames, "Tobias!"_

_ "Wynter!"_

_ Wynter whirled in the direction of the back rooms from whence she'd heard his voice. "Tobias! Hang on! I'm coming!" she called. She navigated the blazing hallway, avoiding the falling debris and flames that licked her skin. She barely felt it, she was so focused on finding him. She'd known this was a bad idea. If he'd still been human, she could have caught him and held him back while they were still on the cliff, out of sight of the hunters. She could have dove off the side of the cliff with him and taken flight, getting them both to the relative safety of the air a few hundred feet off the ground._

_ "Tobias!"_

_ She found him in the back bedroom, clutching the shattered photographs of his family. He looked up at her approach. He was bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds._

_ "Wynter," he said as she knelt down before him._

_ "Hang on," she said, hauling him to his feet and draping his arm over her shoulder to balance him, "I'll get us out of here,"_

_ "I'm...sorry...." he rasped out._

_ "Don't speak," Wynter told him. She was so focused on getting them out through the front that she hadn't noticed they were deep into the trap, not until it was too late._

_ "Freeze!"_

_ Wynter gasped, eyes wide at the congregation of soldiers clustered around the front of the blazing house. All had rifles aimed at her and most of them had silver bayonets attached to the barrels of the rifles. From the center of the grouping, a man in black robes stepped out wearing a crucifix and carrying several pages torn from a bible._

_ "Good evening, vampires," he said pleasantly, "I apologize for the destruction. I tried to make it as painless as possible. After all, even vampires deserve a swift death,"_

_ "A priest," Wynter whispered angrily. Tobias glanced upward weakly._

_ "Yes," the priest answered, "My name is Father Danial Reynolds. I do hope you'll forgive me, but I'm afraid you have to die now."_

_ "Wait!" Wynter said desperately, "This man with me is a brand new vampire, just turned not an hour ago. Without my training, he'll be no danger to humans. Do with me what you like, but spare him. I beg of you,"_

_ Tobias's eyes widened in alarm, "No, Wynter!" he hissed._

_ "A vampire is a vampire," Father Reynolds said with a shrug. "You will both die tonight,"_

_ He nodded to a man beside him wearing a crucifix and carrying a sword made almost entirely of silver. While the other soldiers clustered carefully, their silver bayonets aimed at them, the sword-wielding man approached, extending the blade._

_ "May God bless this holy blade with his divine mercy, to drive out the abominations of the devil" the man whispered to himself._

_ Wynter was too stunned to move as he charged forward, the blade aimed directly at her heart. She could only close her eyes in preparation for the blow._

_ There was a horrible sound of piercing flesh and Wynter chanced to open her eyes in horror. Tobias had used every last ounce of his strength to throw himself between Wynter and the sword man, taking the blow of the silver hilt straight into his heart. Wynter heard it as Tobias's skin crackled and burnt from the silver and the man wrenched the blade out in shock, backing away as Tobias sank to the ground with a sigh. Wynter caught him before he hit the pavement, staring down at him in grief-stricken horror. Tobias coughed dryly, his hand reaching up shakily to clasp over his wound as he stared up at her with glazed red eyes._

_ "Wynter," he muttered, "Are...are you okay?"_

_ "You idiot," Wynter hissed, tears streaming from her eyes, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"_

_ Tobias just smiled weakly, "I...protected you...right?"_

_ Wynter drew a sharp gasp as his body started to disintegrate into dust in her arms, "No! No, don't leave me! You promised, Tobias! You promised!"_

_ "Wynter...I'm so sorry," Tobias's voice whispered as he fell into a final pile of dust before her, blowing slightly into the wind created by the raging fire behind them._

_ Wynter shook her head, her vision fogged by bloody tears as she struggled to register what happened. Tobias was dead. Truly dead._

_ "No...," she whispered, "No, you promised you wouldn't leave me! You promised! Please don't go! Please!"_

_ She hunched into a ball, sobbing in complete abandon at his loss, folding her wings around her body. Meanwhile, Father Reynolds, the sword man and the soldiers all watched in confusion._

_ "What should we do?" one man asked._

_ "I don't know. I didn't think she'd react like that."_

_ "Maybe they weren't even vampires," another suggested._

_ "Don't be foolish," Father Reynolds admonished gently. "That man turned to dust, as all vampires do when properly killed. Take her down, now," he said._

_ Wynter's eyes snapped open and she got to her feet, snarling. "I don't think so," she growled. Her wings snapped open, scattering loose feathers. "Go ahead and shoot! See what happens!" she hissed._

_ As if following her command, the rifles exploded into action simultaneously, but none of the bullets found their mark in Wynter. She leaped into the air, disappearing for a moment before landing in their midst. She deftly sank her fangs deep into the neck of the first man she met. He screamed in strangled agony as she wrenched his head off, throwing his remains to the ground and eying the rest of his comrades, her eyes wild with fury. Blood dripped from her fangs as she let out an unearthly howl, sending her grief and anger into the night sky. One of the riflemen dared to fire another round at her, this one striking her in the neck. Instead of falling over, however, she merely cast a dead, cold stare on him as what appeared to be liquid shadow matter began to pour from the wound in her neck. It expanded in volume and density, enveloping Wynter in a protective cover while the rest of it swarmed into their midst, swallowing three and crushing them in its center._

_ "Run! Run!"_

_ "Get the hell out of here!" the men screamed in terror as they took to their heels. Wynter launched out of her shield, taking over one of the fleeing men and latching her fangs in his shoulder, bringing him down in a single hit as she tore him to pieces where he fell._

_ Father Reynolds stumbled back in fear, eyes wide as she completely destroyed his small army of soldiers meant to destroy her._

_ "This can't be," he muttered, "I've only seen one other vampire with this level of power! Yet I sense that she still isn't complete! How can an incomplete vampire have this much power?" he exclaimed, falling back as Wynter killed the last man, the glow from the fire illuminating her form as she approached him, eyes blazing viciously. Father Reynolds took in the severed head she carried in her hand, the blood dripping sickeningly from it onto the pavement at her feet. She dropped the head, opening her mouth and showing her fangs with a snarl._

_ "My vengeance gives me the necessary fuel," she hissed at him as she drew closer, "My ever-growing vengeance will never cease to empower me to kill those who take away what I cherish. Father Reynolds,"_

_ The priest began to shake in terror, unable to move or even cry out as she reached him. She took hold of his hair, dragging him to his feet as she drew closer to his neck. He stared frightfully into her eyes, so filled with anguish and hate that they weren't even recognizable as eyes anymore._

_ "I'd often heard that Heaven is a paradise. Perhaps you'll find out, seeing how I never will," she growled, sinking her fangs into his neck._

_ //ooo//_

_ She couldn't see the path through the red haze clouding her eyes. She stumbled multiple times, so clouded were her senses. She clutched a yellow piece of fabric at her chest with one arm, the other balancing herself against the tree trunks. The fabric contained Tobias's remaining dust, all she had left of the one person she was sure she'd ever cared for._

_ "Tobias," she whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry,"_

_ Stumbling along the path up to the observation deck, Wynter continued to cry silently. The blood of those men stained her clothes; she could still smell them through and through and it made her sick to her stomach. Several times, she had to stop, kneeling on the hard ground and struggling with her waning composure before continuing on._

_ Finally, she reached the deck overlooking the water and the smoldering remains of the villa. She slowly made her way to the rusted railing, staring out over the water. The wind was brutal that night, but fortunately, it blew away from her. Slowly, she held the fabric out on the railing, undoing the knot holding it shut. As soon as the wind made contact, the dust scattered far and wide over the water on the horizon. She dropped the cloth down after it, watching it sail away out of sight._

_ "Goodbye, Tobias," she whispered, "You were still new and pure as a vampire. You didn't have a chance to commit our inevitable sin. You should still be allowed into Heaven. But don't wait for me. I won't be coming,"_

_ And with that, she turned away, the wind at her back, ruffling her wings. With a sharp snap, she spread her wings into the wind, lifting up into the air and flipping around to soar off into the night sky, never once looking back. Now wasn't the time to look back. She had a semi-immortal existence to take advantage of. There was only one thing left for her to do; find Alucard. After that, well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it._

_ Already feeling the ache in her heart beginning to fade with the greater distance she put between herself and the ruined villa, Wynter buried her feelings for Tobias deep into her very being, determined to live her life as best she could without him._


	16. Sixteen

A/N: Now pay attention. Things are going to be explained here and if you don't read, you won't get it. This chapter is one reason I decided to start a sequel and the first two chapters are already done. I left too many things unexplained not to write one. Oh, and be sure to check out my new Hellsing one shot, Lachrymose! It's gotten two reviews, both of whom commented well. I truly think it's my finest work!

Sixteen

Wynter began to thrash in her sleep again as Louis paced, struggling to come up with a way to free her without destroying all of France and the surrounding areas. Alucard sat on the steps watching passively and occasionally throwing out suggestions. The truth was, Alucard wasn't too surprised by Louis' theory about the agency creating the vampires. After all, they'd lost their prized subject, the vampire Wynter. It was no surprise they'd try to recreate her just as Louis was doing for Genevieve. But now, it seemed to be getting out of hand. Louis understood that he'd gone too far.

"Damn," he hissed, "I can't think of a thing short of waking her up and taking a chance on the outcome. Alucard, any ideas?"

"You speak as though we're partners in crime," Alucard said wryly.

"Well, we kind of are, in a sense. After all, you were the one who turned her. I just had no idea she'd be so incredibly powerful,"

"It's her intense desire for revenge that did that," Alucard said. "Her vengeance is so strong that it feeds her power like fuel on a flame. I'll admit that I've never seen anything like it before. She's a whole new breed of true vampire,"

"I never meant for this to happen," Louis said, "You don't understand, though I loved her so much,"

Alucard's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe there's a way to wake her," he said finally. Louis' brow furrowed in fury and horror, gazing down at her desperately.

"Genevieve," he whispered.

Alucard glanced up at the sound of helicopter rotors approaching, the aircraft landing somewhere close by. He stood up, drawing the Jackal and inserting a fresh magazine.

"I'd stay low if I were you, Louis," Alucard said, "I have a feeling that things are about to get a little crazy,"

Louis just watched him, bewildered. Alucard strode to the door, gun at the ready as it swung open, revealing Seras Victoria and Integra Hellsing standing there. Integra's eyes were steely as she took in the situation. Seras screamed and dropped her Harkonnen, rushing to Wynter only to be stopped midway by the seal, which crackled viciously and hurled her backwards.

"Wynter!" she called, staggering to her feet.

"Don't try to wake her, Seras," Alucard said gravely.

"But why not? We have to get her out of there!" Seras yelled, her gaze falling on Louis standing calmly a few feet away. Seras scowled. "Just what are you doing here?" she growled.

"I take it you already know who I am," Louis said quietly. "I've been trying to think of a safe way to free her. If she should begin to panic while trying to awaken, the resulting explosion of power would decimate the entire region of France," Louis said.

"So," Integra said, "In other words, Wynter has now become a time bomb?"

"Essentially," Alucard replied. Integra shot him a fierce glare.

"I'll have you know that you're going to hear it for running off without orders, Alucard,"

"Don't assume I've forgotten, Integra," Alucard said, smirking.

"Don't worry about that. But for now, I suppose we have more pressing matters. Alucard, Hellsing is being framed for housing Japanese terrorists and there's a warrant out for our arrest, signed by the Japanese government. The headquarters have been locked down and if we don't resolve this soon, my people are going to be silently executed outside of London jurisdiction."

"No," Seras muttered in horror.

"Japanese terrorists?" Alucard said mirthfully, "That's a good one. You and I both know what's really going on, Integra,"

"Yes, we do," Integra said. At that same moment, her cell phone began to ring. She answered it quickly.

"Integra," she said.

"_Sir Integra, I'm terribly sorry but there was nothing I could do,_"

"Walter! Thank God you're safe. Where are you?" Integra asked.

"_On the run, Sir Integra. I've managed to hijack one of their helicopters and am on my way to Marseilles as quickly as I can._"

"Don't bother, Walter, we need someone to try to protect the people still in Hellsing," Integra said. She heard him chuckling wryly.

"_Actually, that's taken care of. You're not going to believe who showed up to defend the main building and survivors,_"

"Who?" Integra asked suspiciously.

"_None other than the Vatican's section XIII, The Iscariot Organization, with Alexander Anderson leading. Helene apparently heard what was going to happen and from what I understand, that woman who confronted me is going to try to put the blame for this on the Vatican in order to minimize Japanese suspicion. After all, a few dozen helicopters bearing the Vatican's seal, swarming an old English building and taking hostages isn't going to go unnoticed by the people,_"

Integra frowned, "All right, so Anderson is there in the interest of the Vatican defending Hellsing's main branch. Where's Helene?"

"_She's with me. She helped me to hijack the helicopter and I've already explained everything to her. Section XIII can handle the Japanese. Don't worry about the prisoners; they can't do a thing to them for at least twenty-four hours, Sir Integra,_"

"Good, then that solves one of our problems," Integra said.

"_Uh...not entirely. Actually, there's yet another problem that may prove worse than the first one, Sir Integra. I discovered something else about that chip in Wynter's arm. It's not only a homing device, and an incredibly powerful one at that, but it's similar to the FREAK chips, in that it monitors Wynter's behaviors and condition 24/7 and collects data on her actions. There's more; it also contained a record of genetic material taken from Wynter during her time in the facility. This material was apparently used to create virtual clones of Wynter. This explains the vampires we mistook for fledglings, as well as the fluctuations in their power. These fledglings were actually versions being released in test runs before the true creations are made and set free. Do you understand, Sir Integra?_"

Integra's eyes had grown wide in horror and she'd started to shake at the realization dawning in the meaning behind his words, "So you're saying that Wynter isn't just similar to Alucard...she's exactly the same!"

"_Yes, unfortunately. Alucard mentioned to me before that her vengeance gives her power. But that's not completely it. Like Alucard...Wynter too, was modified during the twenty-four years she spent in isolation. I'm willing to wager that she was given extremely powerful sedatives during these modifications. This means she won't have any recollection of them. It's extremely likely that Wynter possesses Alucard's abilities almost to the letter. She's not just a powerful fledgling of his. She is basically meant to be another him,_"

Integra shook furiously as she took this in. This explained the agency's desperation to recapture Wynter. Wynter was essentially a clone of Alucard, a hundred and fifty-two years in the making. She could likely do everything he could do, as well as he could do it, possibly even better. But it wasn't that so much that disturbed Integra as what she realized at this thought. If Wynter really was supposed to be Alucard's recreation, then that meant that there had been a traitor in Hellsing's ranks at some point who knew of Alucard and passed the information concerning him to this nameless agency. It all fell into place. Louis Von Brunswick had been used as a scapegoat to deter Hellsing from the true goal. The agency had been creating varying versions of vampires using Wynter's information that the chip relayed. The individuals turned into vampires were chosen based on their resemblances to Genevieve. These new vampires then stalked the countryside until they were killed, having been thrown out without any training. The swifter they were killed, the more the agency realized had to be done. The longer it took to kill them, the more perfect they became. Integra felt an icy chill run down her spine at what this meant. This meant that many of the vampires they'd been killing for years had probably been creations of this agency, sent out for testing. They'd been helping the cause and now, the agency may have succeeded.

She turned to look back at Wynter, for the first time, feeling quite afraid.

They'd succeeded in aiding the plans to create a second, perfect vampire.

Integra shook her head, struggling to recompose herself. "Walter, does this mean that Wynter may turn on us?"

"_From what I understand, Sir Integra, if Wynter were aiding the agency, she would have turned on us long before now. Apparently, they never counted on her being set free before conditioning could be instilled into her brain, nor did they count on her being strong enough to __break out and hide herself from them for this long. Like Hellsing controls Alucard, they probably hoped to control Wynter in the same manner, perhaps even going so far as to dream they could overtake Alucard with his own modified fledgling. But for some reason, she holds none of Alucard's loyalty. Wynter is definitely more on our side. Unfortunately, the good news ends there, Sir Integra,_"

"What do you mean?" Integra asked. Alucard had moved to stand beside her, frowning. She knew he was listening in and could hear everything that had been said. She switched the phone to her other ear so he could hear better, saving herself an explanation.

"_I'm afraid that it gets worse, still. Their technology was frighteningly advanced, Sir Integra, especially for the late 1800's to early 1900's. It's an older model, but from what I could see...well, I'm afraid that Wynter contains one more secret danger._"

"What's he mean by that?" Alucard asked suspiciously.

"_I mean that they thought ahead and prepared for the worst possible scenario. They already have all of Wynter's data backed up, as well as the knowledge I'm sure you've realized was handed to them by a Hellsing Judas. What I mean is...._"

"Walter, tell us, what do you mean?" Integra snapped. Walter cleared his throat.

"_Forgive me, but remember, Helene is here, as well. This information was incredibly distressing for me to discover, Sir Integra,_"

"I apologize. What can you tell us?" Integra said.

"_Well...a fairly large quantity of explosives was planted inside Wynter's body during one of her modifications, Sir Integra,_"

Integra felt her blood run cold. Beside her, Alucard bristled in alarm and whirled to look back at Wynter. She was beginning to strain more fervently against the seal.

"So they can destroy her if they need to?" Integra exclaimed, causing Louis to look up, his eyes wide.

"_Yes, along with everyone and thing she was likely involved with. The bombs are controlled by that woman. She confronted me at Hellsing to try to stop me from relaying this information to you._"

"I can see why," Integra growled, "In that case, we're running out of time however you look at it. All right, this is what we're going to do. Wynter is trapped inside some kind of seal at the moment. I estimate we have at least two hours before Arakawa decides that it's a lost cause and detonates the bomb. It takes an hour or so to fly from Marseilles to London. Return to Hellsing, Walter and assist Anderson and the others in the defense of the main building."

"_What should we do about Alucard's information in the agency's possession?_"

"There's nothing we can do about it. For all we know, that traitor lived during Abraham Van Hellsing's time. All we're sure of is that he got away with treason," Integra snarled. She sighed, "Good luck Walter. May God and Her Majesty be with you. Amen,"

"_Amen,_"

She hung up and turned to Alucard. Alucard's eyes widened in surprise, as it was the first time Integra looked so haggard.

"I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to do," she said so quietly he could barely hear her. She turned and moved over to Wynter. "My family has been betrayed. When and why, we will never know. All we can be sure of is that Wynter is the result of that betrayal,"

Seras, sitting on the steps keeping an eye on Louis, looked up and gasped sharply, standing up and staring down at Wynter.

Wynter's agitated movements grew worse.

Integra explained the situation to Seras and Louis. Louis just shook his head in despair.

"No," he kept muttering, "If only I had been content to watch over her for the rest of her life, none of this would be happening!"

"Enough of that," Integra growled at him, "If you'd left Genevieve alone, this damned organization would have done it to another of Alucard's fledglings."

"But why him?" Seras asked. "Why try to copy Alucard? Why not just try to get rid of him first and then try to make a copy?"

"Probably to compare notes," Alucard put out, "Their theory probably works considering if the copy is able to kill me successfully, then they've accomplished their goal."

"And the way Wynter has spent the last century developing, it's a good bet they would have reached that goal with her, Alucard," Integra said gravely. "She has all of your power and more thanks to that traitor who passed along information to this agency,"

"So you have no idea who it was, Sir Integra?" Seras asked.

"No, I don't. It's likely that this traitor was never caught and if that's the case, there's no way to discover their identity. We have to deal with the now, and that means waking Wynter up somehow and returning to London to win back the Hellsing Organization,"

"Sir Integra," Louis said suddenly, "Please allow me to help,"

All three of them turned to him in amazement. Louis, who just a moment before had appeared helpless and lost, suddenly gained a sense of power about him. Integra frowned.

"Louis Von Brunswick, the French vampire noble. You offer your assistance to the Hellsing Organization?"

"Yes. This is happening due to my actions in the past. I funded the agency I hired to keep Genevieve safe, unaware of what they were really doing to her. Had I known, I would have stopped it at once. But as it stands, this is entirely my fault. I would do anything to protect Genevieve and if that means risking my own life to do so, then so be it,"

As if to prove his point, he knelt down before Integra, bowing his head in submission. "If you should allow it, I, Louis Von Brunswick, swear eternal loyalty to Sir Integra Hellsing and the Hellsing Organization," he declared.

Integra frowned, but nodded slowly. "Very well, Louis, I accept. But this still leaves us with an important matter to contend with," she said, turning to Wynter. "How to wake her up safely,"

"Excuse me," Louis said, "But I've been working on an idea for a little while,"

"What is it?"

"Earlier, Alucard was able to calm her through the use of hypnosis. I was thinking that we could probably awaken her safely through the same method," Louis said.

"Hm," Alucard mumbled, "A reverse hypnosis. It's worth a try. Of course, I don't need to remind you all of what will happen if I should fail,"

Seras visibly swallowed nervously. Alucard approached the space surrounding the seal, bracing. He quickly reached inside, clasping his hand over Wynter's shoulder.

"Seras!" he called, "I need you to hold her!"

Seras bolted forward automatically. She hesitated at first from the seal before rushing in, crying out in pain from the initial shock of entering the protected space. By this point, the extra power within the space was causing immense strain on Wynter, who'd begun to scream in her sleep. Seras managed to push Wynter's floating form down to the ground for better leverage even as she continued to struggle incessantly as she slept. Alucard knelt on the other side, opening both of her eyes with his left hand and leaning so that he made direct eye contact. As before, the minute her still sleeping eyes met his, she ceased moving. Seras loosened her grip on Wynter's shoulders as she watched Alucard carefully. He never blinked, but Seras had no idea how he was calming Wynter down.

Finally, Wynter's eyes slid shut again and Alucard stepped back, indicating that Seras release her and do the same. Seras did so, jumping backward cautiously as Wynter's unmoving form started ascending again inside the seal, then stopped. She opened her mouth as though to speak, though no words were heard. Then slowly, very slowly, her body began to descend back to the ground, gently falling against the marble floor, her hair splayed behind her like a dark halo in stark contrast to the white gown. Her eyes twitched beneath the lids and Alucard smirked.

"Well," he said, "It looks like it worked,"

But when Wynter began to open her eyes, he frowned suddenly. "Wait," he said, "Something's wrong. Something is very wrong; Seras, get back!"

Seras now knew that the situation was only getting more serious. He'd called her by her name three times that night. She did as she was told as Wynter moaned and rolled onto her side, bracing her hand against the floor as she heaved herself up. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder, obscuring her face from view as she worked herself into a kneeling position.

Alucard stared at Wynter, his face showing the clear concern he felt. Something wasn't right, here.

"Wynter?" Seras said soothingly, taking a cautious step forward, "How are you feeling?"

"Hm?" Wynter moaned. "Who's there?"

Seras knelt beside Wynter, smiling. "Hey, what do you mean? It's me, Seras,"

For the first time, Wynter opened her eyes and looked up at Seras. But Seras gasped in alarm and scooted backward, staring. Alucard was right; something _was_ very wrong, namely with her eyes. Wynter's eyes were now bright, emerald green.

Wynter looked around blearily, frowning at Integra and smiling in some recognition at Alucard. "Oh, it's you," she said, getting shakily to her feet, "I haven't seen you in a while. I'm sorry, I seem to have dozed off. Please don't tell me I did so while you were still here."

Alucard sighed heavily as realization sunk in. Now he saw what had happened.

Wynter gazed around the ruined building, her eyes settling again on Integra, who stepped back in confusion and caution. Wynter smiled warmly, "I apologize, but I'm afraid I don't know you. Who might you be?"

"Alucard," Integra asked, tilting her head in his direction but not taking her eyes off Wynter, "What's going on?"

"G-Genevieve!" Louis exclaimed. Here, Wynter froze, her face contorting in fear as she turned around. The second her eyes landed on Louis, she drew a sharp breath and screamed shrilly, stumbling backward and slumping against the wall, quaking in terror as she stared wide-eyed at him. "N-No! No! Stay away! Stay away from me!" she shrieked. Louis immediately stepped back, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"It is you," he mumbled, "My beloved Genevieve,"

"What happened?" Seras asked, watching as she curled into a ball, sobbing hysterically. Alucard sighed. "I honestly have no idea what's going on here," he said, "But it's fairly obvious that Wynter isn't there,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Seras asked.

"That's not Wynter, Seras," Alucard said grimly, "That's the young woman I turned into one of our own a hundred and fifty-two years ago. That's Genevieve Du Beaumont,"

Integra frowned, making her way over to where Genevieve was hunched over. She got down on knee beside her, peering down at her face. "Genevieve Du Beaumont?" she said.

Genevieve cautiously raised her eyes to Integra's, the green shining brilliantly through her tears. She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.

"Y-Yes," she stammered. "Who are you? Why is he here?" she asked, gesturing toward Louis. Integra cast a quick glance back at the vampire before focusing her gaze on the girl.

"My name is Integra Hellsing of the Hellsing Organization," she explained softly, "You shouldn't worry. You're safe, here,"

"What happened to me?" Genevieve muttered, "Who are all of you? This isn't my home; my home burned to the ground. Please, tell me where I am! I'm sure that I was dead! Please!" she cried, grabbing Integra's arm. She frowned when took a better look at Integra.

"You...you're a woman, aren't you?" she muttered, "Yet your apparel is so odd."

Integra actually chuckled dryly. "Yes, I suppose to you, it might be. Tell me, Genevieve, do you know what year it is?" she asked carefully. Seras opened her mouth to try to stop Integra, but Alucard grabbed her shoulder, shaking his head slowly.

"The year? Well, it's 1858, isn't it?"

Seras's eyes went wide and she raised a hand to cover her mouth in alarm.

Integra sighed, shaking her head. "No, Genevieve," she said, "I'm afraid it's the year 2004. It's been a hundred and fifty-two years since you were turned into a vampire,"

Genevieve twitched faintly, her eyes flickering as her brain struggled to process it.

"A hun...a hundred and...and fifty-t-two...years...." she breathed, slumping to the ground in a dead faint.

A/N: So Genevieve has returned. But what does she want? I'm afraid I can't answer that. It isn't answered in the story and I have yet to come up with an explanation myself. It will be in the sequel though, I guarantee. So keep reading!


	17. Seventeen

A/N: Anderson makes his first appearance here and I did my absolute best on his accent. I even checked out copies of the Hellsing manga where he appears so I could have a somewhat accurate reference. This story is almost done, but I'm working on the next one. Enjoy.

Seventeen

The helicopter ride back was tense. By this point, Genevieve had woken up again, but only trusted Integra for some reason. She showed suspicion toward Seras and Alucard and outright hostility to Louis for obvious reasons.

Being a true vampire, Louis flew behind the helicopter as a bat while Seras and Alucard remained inside to keep an eye on Genevieve. It had taken a full ten minutes to convince her to ride in the helicopter and she'd only just begun to relax. Integra sat beside her, watching her curiously as she stared into space, seemingly a different being with those stunning green eyes.

"That's right...," she mumbled to herself, "I saw him die. Jean."

Genevieve was trying to piece together her memories. Integra was convinced that she probably remembered everything, but that something was blocking her retrieval of these memories. Genevieve raised a finger to her mouth, chewing on her nail. Almost immediately, she winced and pulled her hand away.

"What? What is that? There's something sharp!" she exclaimed.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you," Integra said, "That sharp thing in your mouth is called a fang and you have several of them."

Genevieve blinked in confusion and shrugged her shoulders involuntarily, shuddering her wings and causing her to freeze in alarm.

"What was that!" she squeaked.

"Your wings," Integra answered simply, pushing her glasses back. She herself was amazed at her level of patience.

"W-Wings? Tell me, what in the world have I become?"

In the seat behind her, Alucard sighed. "Do you truly remember nothing, Genevieve?" he asked. She turned back, frowning at him. "Well, I recall you, Alucard. But I also recall dying while speaking to you the night Louis slaughtered my family,"

"Technically, you did," Alucard said, "You asked me to change you into a vampire, so I obliged."

"I'm...I'm a vampire?" Genevieve mumbled, turning back around. "But...but how?"

"Now isn't the time to be explaining this," Integra said, "Because we have a bigger issue to worry about. Right now, we need to focus on ending Arakawa's ridiculous scheme before it gets completely out of hand."

"How do we do that?" Seras asked. Beside her, Alucard smirked.

"Carefully," he said.

//ooo//

"Well, we seem to have earned a short reprieve," Walter said, flicking the wires back against his wrist with a sigh and a slight grimace. A few feet away, Helene, standing over a pile of broken bodies, glanced over concernedly. "You okay?"

"Hm? Oh, quite fine, Ms. Helene. I'm just not as spry as I used to be," Walter said with a light chuckle. "For the first time, I'm beginning to feel my age creeping up on me."

"I'll never know what that feels like," Helene said disinterestedly, "Or if I do, it won't be for a long, long time yet,"

"I suppose in your position, it might seem that way," Walter said to her as he flicked his wrist, slashing out at a straggling soldier without so much as a glance at what he was doing. The man gave a single, strangled yell as he toppled to the ground in bloody ribbons, "But take it from me, Ms. Helene, the years will definitely fly by. You may be a semi-immortal, but you'll notice it in a rather different way from the rest of us,"

"Semi-immortal?" Helene asked.

"Yes. There's no such thing as a true immortal, you realize," Walter told her.

"But what about Genevieve and Alucard?"

"Semi-immortals. It's the politically correct term for the two of them. I'll give you an example. Before Sir Integra met Alucard, he'd been locked away in Hellsing's deepest dungeons because Arthur Hellsing feared that he was too dangerous to be kept in the open. For twenty years, he remained isolated, finally succumbing to torpor from lack of blood until his body ultimately resembled a long-dead corpse. When Sir Integra was pursued and attacked by her uncle and his followers, the scent of her blood rejuvenated him. Thus, he was essentially brought back to life in this manner. Do I make myself clear, Ms. Helene?"

"I think so. So you're saying that their 'eternal lives' are really just dependent on the amount of humans they devour. They can't be killed by starvation, but it weakens them drastically until blood is found again,"

"Precisely," Walter said with a nod.

"So my sister really _is_ undead, isn't she?" Helene muttered, looking away.

"I'm afraid so. She has no choice but to consume blood in order to sustain herself. Don't forget, she is a vampire after all and that is what they do, Ms. Helene," Walter said sternly.

"You're certainly knowledgeable, Mr. Dornez," Helene said, unsheathing her claws as another wave of soldiers approached from the east wings. Walter chuckled, moving into position a few feet away, "I should be," he said, "I've proudly served the Hellsing Organization since I was a boy. Compared to my previous battles, this is far too easy for me. And please, Ms. Helene, call me Walter,"

Helene smirked, "Fine then, Walter. But drop the formalities and call me Helene. Ms. Helene sounds far too old,"

Walter just laughed.

//ooo//

Anderson stood up on a ruined section of wall, watching the helicopter approaching to land within the boundaries. For the moment, it was safe to so one of his comrades directed it to safer place to touch down. Once they had, he made his way over himself.

"About time ye got here," he growled. Integra jumped down, approaching cautiously.

"What's the status here?"

"Ae temporary ceasefire, Hellsing. Ah got my boys patrollin' the grounds as we speak,"

"I suppose I owe you my thanks for defending our survivors, even if it was on the Vatican's behalf," Integra said somewhat bitterly.

"Ye doon't owe us a thing, Hellsing. Ah came here on orders from the Vatican. Helicopters with the Vatican's seal stuck on 'em were used tae invade this place."

"I see. So nothing was left to the imagination?" Integra said.

"I'll give them credit for trying," Alucard said as he jumped down from the helicopter and came over, drawing the Jackal and inserting a fresh magazine. "Perhaps they'll show up again in the near future,"

"They might," Anderson said, distaste evident in his voice at the thought of having to work with Alucard. "However, if they do, it's best tae keep ae low profile, vampire. From what Ah understand, it's not jus' that fledgling o' yours that they're aimin' to get their hands on,"

Alucard just grinned, inclining his head, "I'm well aware of this agency's battle plans, Judas Priest," he said, "But they might just find that that their true objective isn't so obtainable anymore,"

Anderson's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What do ye mean?"

Alucard stepped back, gesturing for him to approach the aircraft, "See for yourself," he told him, turning and wandering off. Skeptical, but curious, Anderson swept past, moving over to the helicopter where Seras now stood outside, talking to someone or something inside.

"Please come out, it's safe out here!" she called.

"No! I'm staying in here!"

Seras sighed and scratched her head in frustration. She jumped with a shriek when she noticed Anderson, but calmed only slightly when she saw he was unarmed— for the moment.

"Father Anderson," she muttered, deciding to be respectful to him while he was their temporary ally, "Uh, g-good evening,"

"Ae very good evening tae ye, young lady," Anderson said somewhat coldly, "Might Ah ask who ye were talking to?"

"Uh, well, it's...it's Wynter, but...." Seras mumbled, trailing off with a glance inside. There was the sound of faint footsteps and Anderson's eyes went wide in surprise.

Genevieve stopped at the door, face even more ashen than usual as she slumped to her knees just inside the aircraft.

"What the—?" Anderson exclaimed, "Well ah'll be. It's her,"

"Oh," Seras said, "That's right! She told me about a little skirmish you two had a while back. I suppose she wouldn't remember you right now, though,"

"Why not?" Anderson asked, frowning.

"Take a good look at her, Father Anderson," Seras said seriously. "Notice something different?"

Anderson studied her carefully as she sat there, staring at the ground and clearly in shock. When she looked up at him with absolutely no recognition whatsoever, that's when it hit him.

"Her eyes!" he said, "They've changed color! They're as green as emeralds!"

"Father Anderson, meet Genevieve Du Beaumont. We're not entirely sure what happened, but she's a human mind stuck inside a vampire's body," Seras explained, "And it's taken all our effort just to keep her calm. As she is now, she can't handle all of that power like she did as Wynter,"

"Ah've never seen anything like this!" Anderson declared in stunned shock. "A vampire that reverted back tae being human! It's impossible!"

"Actually, it's quite possible," Integra said, coming up behind him, "And Genevieve is irrefutable proof that vampires still possess humanity. Whatever happened to her, her remaining humanity has come completely to the surface, transforming her consciousness into that of a human's. Her body, however, remains that of a vampire and this could make her rather dangerous. I'd keep my voice down if I were you,"

Anderson just blinked, too stunned to argue. He just stared in bewilderment at Genevieve, huddled in a ball inside the cabin and shaking from both fear and cold.

"So what do ye plan tae do with her, Hellsing?" he asked.

"We're not sure, yet. It's clear that she can't remain as a human. We've already told her that a hundred and fifty-two years have passed and this caused her to black out. For whatever reason, her vampire persona has disappeared completely and our main goal is to somehow draw it back out again,"

"Ye can't do that!" Anderson snapped, "She's nae longer yer pet vampire, Hellsing."

"She's not human, either, Anderson," Integra said, "And for the moment, she's extremely delicate, as you can see,"

He turned back to Genevieve, quaking in terror as she stared at him, eyes wide. He'd startled her with his sudden outburst;

"W-Who are you?" she muttered. Anderson was finding it harder and harder to believe that she was now anything but human with the way she was acting.

"Ah dinnae believe it," he snarled. "She's acting too human tae still be ae vampire,"

"Seras," Integra said.

"Yes, Sir," Seras replied, jumping up into the cabin. Genevieve bristled, but remained still. Seras smiled warmly at her, "It's okay, I'm just going to free your wings," she said.

"M-My wings?"

"Yes. They must be cramped, having to remain folded for so long,"

Genevieve shrugged her shoulders, nodding slowly. Seras carefully tore two slits in the back of the gown and gently pulled her compressed wings through them, revealing them to Anderson. Genevieve smiled lightly and flexed them in and out.

"Do you believe it now?" Integra asked him, "Face it, Anderson, she's a human trapped in the body of a vampire, and an incredibly powerful one at that. I take it you don't know yet why this agency is after her?"

Anderson growled, tearing his eyes away from Genevieve's wings. "Ah only caught the basic details," he grumbled, "That she was once ae prisoner kept for certain research. But from that, nothin' else,"

"Then you won't know that Wynter was the result of Hellsing's research," Integra said bluntly.

"What? So you Hellsing abominations created _another_ monster!" Anderson yelled, jumping slightly and turning when Genevieve screamed and ducked back into the helicopter.

"You're both correct and incorrect," Integra said, folding her arms, "Wynter is the result of our research. But she was not created by us. There was a Judas in our ranks at some point who passed information along to the agency and they used this to modify the girl, Wynter into a weapon powerful enough to rival Alucard when he's at full strength,"

"She's that strong?" Anderson muttered.

"Yes. Right now, the Cromwell Seal keeps Alucard under severe restrictions that prevent him from releasing his full potential. With the seal in effect, Alucard would likely barely survive a direct conflict with Wynter and I believe that she may have been able to sense that. This is my own theory, but it might explain why she disappeared," Integra said with a glance inside the helicopter where Seras was attempting to coax Genevieve back out.

"Then what was the point in this?" Anderson snapped, keeping his voice down to prevent Genevieve from panicking. "It's pretty obvious they couldn't control her. So why this and why noo?"

"There's no way of knowing," Integra told him, "Wynter is frighteningly powerful and the difference between Wynter and Alucard is that Alucard's power is limited by the Cromwell Seal and Wynter's isn't. But now, Wynter has vanished from the face of the earth, leaving behind a frightened, weak human consciousness that's scared of her own shadow. Face it Anderson, she can't be retrieved as a human. Wynter and Genevieve are two separate individuals and Genevieve has apparently been formant for however long Wynter has existed. Now that Wynter's gone, Genevieve has taken her place. This new world is far too advanced for her old world mind to comprehend. Don't forget, she grew up in France nearly a hundred and seventy-one years ago. She is mentally unable to survive in our world and is better off returning to her life as a vampire and putting this human persona to sleep for good,"

Even though he clearly wasn't happy with the idea, Anderson had to admit she was right. Genevieve was all alone in a world that she'd become familiar with as a vampire in a life she couldn't remember. For her, it was equivalent to going to sleep for a century and a half and waking up to find that the world had passed you by. He despised vampires and wished for nothing more than to just kill Wynter and her master once and for all, but the way she was now, he just couldn't do it. It just wasn't right.

"Excuse me," Seras cut in, "But what if we introduced her to Helene? She might recognize her,"

Integra hummed, frowning, "That might be a good place to start," she muttered.

"And it might not be," Anderson said, "Don' forget, Hellsing, Helene's grown up quite ae bit in the last century and a half. Genevieve might not recognize her,"

"We don't have many other options, now do we?" Integra replied. "Where is Helene?"

"Last Ah saw her, she was helping that butler o' yours defend the west sector," Anderson said, jerking his thumb in the direction behind them, "She's probably still there,"

"I can take her," Seras suggested, "I think she's beginning to trust me a little more,"

"What makes you say that?" Integra asked.

"That fact that she's stopped ruffling her wings whenever I get close to her," Seras said, chuckling.

"I still don't like you," Genevieve's voice said from inside.

"But why? I'm so loveable!" Seras joked.

"You smell funny. How am I able to smell you from this distance! It's not right! _Why do I have wings in the first place!_" Genevieve wailed.

Seras threw Anderson an exasperated glance before sighing.

"See what we mean?" she muttered. "Come on, lets' go, Genevieve!"

To their surprise, Genevieve appeared in the doorway, leaping down with a surprising amount of grace. She hesitated as Seras offered her hand to her, shaking her head slowly. She glanced around her, first at Anderson and then at Integra. Anderson frowned.

"God be with ye, child," he said.

"Uh, thank you, Father," Genevieve answered as Seras took her hand and dragged her away, Genevieve protesting somewhat halfheartedly.

Anderson sighed irritably, clenching his fist tighter around the bayonet he still clutched.

"Don't waste your concern, Anderson," Integra said, "There's nothing you can do to preserve her humanity and you know that,"

He knew it. They both did. In fact, everyone who would meet Genevieve would know it. Genevieve's consciousness returning to her vampiric body was nothing more than a fluke. Wherever Wynter had gone, she'd left behind a large problem. Genevieve was emotionally unstable thanks to her predicament. She had no memories of the past century and a half and no memories of being a vampire. Her memories ended the day she was changed into a vampire and to her, she was certain she'd died. So in a sense, Genevieve had been brought back to life.

Integra sighed heavily. "This is turning into one big mess," she grumbled, "And where on earth did Louis get to? He should have been here by now?"

They heard a faint squeaking coming from above them seconds before a rather large lump of mist toppled to the ground. Louis straightened up, coughing.

"My apologies for my tardiness, Sir Integra," he wheezed, "I got stuck in a fog and my radar wasn't functioning. Where is Genevieve?"

"She went with Seras to find Helene," Integra said, "At this point, keeping her calm is paramount. If she were to panic and unleash her full power on a whim, we could be in for some trouble. We figured that Helene might be able to help,"

Louis frowned, "I don't really know. Helene wants to kill Genevieve for abandoning her," he said.

"Who's this?" Anderson snapped.

"This is Louis Von Brunswick. He's essentially the reason Genevieve became a vampire in the first place. We're accepting his help in solving this mess,"

Anderson scowled. "Ah may have heard yer name thrown about there," he said, "You're some famous noble from France, aren't ye?"

"Yes, you may have heard of me. I slay werewolves," Louis explained calmly. Integra was secretly amazed how easily Louis could change faces. He could go from bumbling idiot to collected vampire lord in two seconds.

"That right?" Anderson grumbled. Integra frowned. She recognized that tone in his voice. He'd used it the night he tried to kill Seras and herself.

"Anderson, for the moment, we're your allies. The two of you have both agreed to assist us for your own reasons. I'd expect proper dignity to follow these promises,"

"Oh, not tae worry, Hellsing," Anderson said with a leer, brandishing one of his blades so that it reflected her off its surface, "Ah'm a man o' my word, and no Japanese scum is gon'na put the name o' our God tae blame for this little incident,"

Integra hummed. "I really don't care in the slightest, Anderson. All that matters right now are two main goals; one, to eradicate the members of the agency trying to wipe the both of us off the map and two, to keep Genevieve under control in her weakened state until we find a way to bring Wynter back. That's it,"

"Yes," Louis said, "When Wynter returns, I have but one favor,"

"What is it?"

"Please allow me to deal with her. Genevieve will never accept me after what I've done and it's about time I came to terms with this. But Wynter may yet prove a worthy foe and I'd like to test her mettle. If my luck holds out, she might be the one to finally end my life," he said quietly. Integra frowned at this, but said nothing more on the matter as she left the two of them.

Integra found Alucard talking with Walter and Helene, suggesting that Seras and Genevieve were now wandering aimlessly around the estate. Not good.

"What! My sister's here?" Helene cried as Integra explained what was going on.

"Yes. What have they been telling you this whole time?" Integra asked incredulously.

"We were discussing this sudden withdrawal, Sir Integra," Walter said, "Doesn't it strike you as rather odd that they've pulled back so suddenly?"

"It did. Anderson mentioned it," Integra answered, "My guess is that they're preparing backup troops not too far away. But if you're thinking along the same lines I am, then this is bigger than it looks,"

"Correct," Alucard said, "They're not summoning just any old troops they can scrounge up, are they?"

"No," Walter agreed, "They're bringing in the test versions of their vampiric creations to take us down and bring in Genevieve, not realizing that Wynter, their true objective, is no longer there,"

"So then this leaves us with one major dilemma," Integra said, folding her arms, "We have to keep them from realizing what's happened to Wynter. If they find out that Wynter's gone, they may try to kill Genevieve by detonating that bomb they planted inside of her."

"Precisely," Walter said, "Now, there is one other option we could attempt, but considering our time, I don't recommend it."

"What?"

"We could try to surgically remove the explosives and deactivate them."

"We haven't got enough time. It's been an hour since Genevieve awoke and Arakawa could in theory set off the explosives whenever she chose to, or felt that it was becoming too much of a bother to pursue."

"So if she were to activate the bomb, we can count on the entire estate to be decimated," Alucard pointed out, "And if Genevieve were to panic and subconsciously release all of Wynter's power at once, then the whole of England would likely suffer, with the general area becoming leveled,"

Integra smirked, "You know, Alucard, I've never heard you be serious about anything until now. It's actually kind of scary,"

Alucard grinned, leering at her through his glasses, "Oh really? I'm glad to see that _something_ scares you. Maybe I should be serious more often, Integra,"

"Shut up. All right," Integra said, changing gears, "For now, it seems our best interest would be to keep Genevieve safe. Do you know where she is?" she asked Walter.

"I don't. But if Ms. Victoria is with her, she's relatively safe."

Alucard cleared his throat, pulling his hat down over his eyes. Walter just glared at him irritably. " I see you have absolutely no faith in her, do you Alucard?" he grumbled.

"Oh, I have faith in her. Or rather, I have faith in her ability to mess up the entire situation," Alucard muttered. "I'd better go after them,"

He left without a word. Integra sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Damn it, this is turning into more of a fiasco than I'd hoped for,"

"It is becoming rather problematic," Walter agreed, "Especially now that we understand how dangerous Wynter really is, or in this case, was,"

"But still," Integra mumbled, "Trying to create another vampire like Alucard? That's not just ridiculous, it's insane. Alucard is barely controlled as it is. What on earth could they have been thinking?"

"It's like you've said, Sir Integra; there's no viable way of knowing," Walter said grimly.

Helene frowned at them irritably, "So what's the matter? What's going on with my sister!" she growled. Integra regarded her blankly.

"Helene, your sister has essentially become nothing more than a weapon of mass destruction, created by an agency attempting to bring forth a second perfect vampire using stolen research. By all accounts, your sister technically belongs to the Hellsing Organization, as it was our stolen research that created her,"

"For one reason or another," Walter said, "Genevieve has returned with no memories of the past century and a half, even still believing that the year was 1858."

"In other words," Integra continued, "Your sister has technically returned from the dead in the body of an undead,"

A/N: I appreciate people who read and reviewed my latest work, Lachrymose. All three of its reviews said they were close to tears and that's just the reaction I wanted! Heck, I was close to tears writing the thing. I'm immensely proud of it, so if you haven't read it, please do and critique me as you see fit! Be brutal if you must! It helps me improve!


	18. Eighteen

A/N: Whew! Long chapter! I'll keep this short. I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause it's a long one!

Eighteen

Alucard found Seras trying to convince Genevieve to keep searching in the east sector. This entire section of the main building had collapsed in on itself thanks to a helicopter that had crashed into it. Alucard figured that Walter had something to do with that one.

Genevieve looked up at his approach, but surprisingly, barely reacted. Was her human persona getting used to the vampiric abilities, he wondered.

"Police-Girl, what are you two doing here?" he asked. Seras bristled and sighed. He was back to calling her Police-Girl.

"Well, we were looking for Helene," Seras explained, "We thought that maybe the sight of her would help Genevieve a little,"

"I keep telling you, Helene is dead," Genevieve snapped, "I saw her die,"

"Correction," Alucard said, "You _heard_ her die, or you thought you did. Helene is in fact very much alive."

"How? I was told it's been over a century. How am I even still alive after so long?" Genevieve exclaimed.

"You're a vampire, capable of a semi-immortal life if you so choose," Alucard said, "But I suppose you wouldn't remember that, now would you?"

Genevieve stared down at the ground, eyes dull and glazed, "No, I suppose not," she mumbled. She ruffled her wings and hugged her knees, staring into space. Seras sighed and folded her arms.

"I do wish you could remember me," she said, "I really liked you,"

Genevieve threw her a venomous glare, "I'm not familiar with you in any way," she snapped. Seras yanked on her hair, snarling, "That's not the point! I think you just don't like me because I told you that you used to!"

"Smart girl," Genevieve said with a grin. Seras's jaw dropped in frustration.

"Damn, you're even like master when you're not a vampire anymore," she growled.

All three of them looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Alucard's eyes flashed menacingly at the sight of Anderson as he approached with Helene walking a few feet behind him.

"All right, Ah found the little monster," he said, "But Ah really don' see how this is gon'na help at all, vampire,"

"We'll just have to wait and see," Alucard answered. He glanced over at Helene, staring at Genevieve and looking about ready to keel over.

"It…it…it can't be…." She muttered, shaking. Genevieve tilted her head in confusion, eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" she asked slowly.

"But…but Genevieve, don't you recognize me? It's me, Helene! It's Helene, Genevieve!" Helene practically begged. At the sound of that name, Genevieve's eyes lit up and she gasped sharply, "Helene!" she exclaimed. Helene tore forward and threw her arms around her sister, "I knew it! You do remember me! You remembered!"

"But…this can't be…you were just a little girl," Genevieve whispered.

"I grew up a little," Helene said sheepishly.

Suddenly, Helene was hurled backward onto the ground as Genevieve leaped to her feet, quaking in horror and shaking her head, stepping back, "No, no, this can't be! This can't be true!" she shrieked. Without warning, there was a tremendous sound like rushing wind and Genevieve snapped her wings open, flapping them twice to lift off and soar up onto the roof of the building, glaring down at them warningly. She let out a horrible wail and sank to her knees up there, sobbing.

Alucard sighed, "Well, that certainly didn't help in any way whatsoever," he muttered, watching her.

"Ah'd say it just made things worse," Anderson agreed. "Yer little friends told me what's goin' on with that girl."

"Good; it saves some explaining," Alucard said, "However, I'm starting to believe that all of our efforts will soon be in vain,"

"Why's that?" Seras asked.

At that moment, a horrifying, unearthly wail met their ears, floating on the breeze and carrying on in a seemingly endless echo, long after the cry had died away. Seras looked up at Genevieve in alarm. Her wings were opened and spread as far as they could go. She was standing on the roof, gazing up at the moon sitting high above them like some kind of heavenly vessel taunting the inhabitants of earth below. Even from this distance, her eyes could be seen blazing in the darkness. Seras gasped.

"It's Wynter! She's returned!" she exclaimed.

"No, Police-Girl, look again," Alucard said, "Something's triggered an activation of Wynter's power."

"But what?" Anderson muttered.

Then, they heard it, the low rumbling of several hundred individuals approaching from behind. All four of them whirled in time to see it; a wave of humanoid creatures swarming in through the gates. Seras felt her heart stop when she realized that they were coming from the direction they'd left Walter and Integra in. Had they gotten out okay?

A blast of icy wind slammed into them, knocking Helene and Seras off their feet. Alucard reached up to hold his hat in place, turning back to look up at where Genevieve stood. His eyes narrowed as he saw Genevieve stand up, moving to the edge of the roof and stepping off, hurtling down toward the ground. At first, he wondered if maybe she'd decided to try to kill herself out of fear, despite how impossible that was. This theory was almost confirmed when she landed limply on the ground with a sickening thud. He heard the cracking of several bones upon impact. But even from this distance, he could sense that something was wrong. Had Genevieve returned to sleep, allowing Wynter back into her body?

Seras got to her feet, swallowing nervously as the creatures approached. Anderson snarled and raised a blade warningly, "Damn these abominations tae Hell," he hissed. He lashed out viciously at the nearest creature, slicing its head clean off. But his grin faded when the head, having not even reached the ground, suddenly flew back through the air and reattached itself to its body seamlessly, the vampiric girl smirking.

"Huh," Alucard said, "Well, now we know where all of those missing girls have gone to,"

Every single creature surrounding them was one of the dozens of missing young girls from all over, every single one turned into a vampiric creation based off of Wynter's information collected over the decades. And thanks to Anderson's gruesome discovery, every single one was unstoppable.

"That's interesting," Alucard muttered, moving backward. The four of them had formed a small circle so that no one was backed up against the wave of monsters.

"What's interesting?" Helene asked.

"Some of them have had their mouths sewn shut and others their eyes," he mentioned, "And then there's a couple over there who are missing both their arms, but they've grown shadow matter arms to replace them. It seems that these are still just test versions for the real thing and that the experimentation is still far from over,"

"So that means that these things are still imperfect?" Helene asked.

"Exactly, although I doubt they have a weakness," Alucard said with a grin.

"So how do we get out of this?" Seras asked nervously.

"We don't," Alucard replied simply. He didn't sound all that concerned, though. Seras realized with a jolt that she'd left her Harkonnen in the helicopter. She was pretty much defenseless at this point!

"Split up!" Anderson roared. He, Alucard and Helene all took off in different directions, tearing through the mass of monsters just to escape for now and deal with destroying them later. But this left Seras behind, who hadn't reacted fast enough. Alucard noticed and stopped just outside his path of destruction, turning back anxiously.

"Police-Girl! Move!" he yelled. But it was too late. Seras had tried to shove through the creatures, but they'd grabbed her and bodily forced her out of sight to the ground. Alucard could hear her screaming, but he couldn't place where she was and he knew that there were just too many of these regenerative creatures to deal with at once, especially since the ones he killed were starting to come back to life for round two. He was just about to summon Baskerville and try again when—

Alucard froze. He saw it; it was moving deftly across the ground, slithering it was through the creatures straight into their midst. He watched it calmly as it disappeared before a sudden, horrifying explosion ripped through the center of their ranks, scattering dozens of creatures in its wake. Alucard shielded his eyes from the blast, finally peering through the smoke as something began to appear. Great black wings beat three times, fanning the smoke away. Blazing red eyes illuminated the darkness around them and Alucard grinned.

"Well, it's about time you came back, Wynter," he said.

Wynter just smiled. She was dragging Seras's unconscious body behind her.

"I couldn't just let them eat my little sister, you know," she said quietly. She turned to the creatures regrouping behind her. Alucard watched in amazement as a sharp gust blew up around her suddenly, starting out as a gentle funnel as they approached, snarling. Wynter's eyes snapped open and she spread her wings in one deft movement. The gentle funnel exploded outward as a raging whirlwind, surrounding the monsters and sucking them up into the sky in a merciless torrent.

Then, as quickly as it began, the wind storm died down and Wynter relaxed her wings, folding them delicately behind her, like a bird. Alucard whistled.

"Impressive," he said, "I don't know what that was; even _I_ couldn't do that,"

"Well, you yourself said I should see what powers I develop. In the many years I spent traveling, I've been given many names. Ruler of the skies was one of them, master,"

"Names, huh? What else? Just curious," Alucard asked. Wynter's face grew distant, her eyes glazed, "_Naraku no Hana_, or Flower of Hell was another," she said. "Out of all of them, it was my favorite, seeing how it was the least insulting."

"I'd say it suits you," Alucard said, "Now, why don't you tell me where you've been?"

Wynter shrugged, "I honestly couldn't tell you. I felt this…other presence inside me right before I awoke within that seal I was placed in. I don't know what happened, but that presence wanted to see what was happening, so I let it," she said. "I wonder if that was a good idea. I don't even know what that presence was,"

"It was your human self," Alucard explained, "She somehow survived the transformation from human to vampire. Ah, I get it now. That's why you remembered nothing afterward. Genevieve preserved herself deep inside your mind, locking all of your human morals and memories in with her. It makes sense," he said with slight awe in his voice. Wynter shrugged, "Well, whatever happened, I'm back and that's all that matters. I don't intend to revert again, however, as I much prefer this life over whatever my human existence was like,"

Alucard smirked darkly, "Ah, Wynter, you become more like true family every day. Soon, once we've cleaned this little mess up," he said, gesturing at the few monsters who'd survived and were picking themselves up to attack again, "I'll offer you my own blood,"

Wynter folded her arms, shrugging her wings, "We'll see. Now, I believe the time for idle chatter has ended. We can catch up on old times later, master. For now, it seems Arakawa's work still has a ways to go. These girls are nothing more than powerful ghouls; they obey commands without hesitation and attack without distinction, yet they're nearly indestructible. How do we beat them?"

"I'm still working on that. You've already delayed the return of the others for quite some time. I'll stay here and 'experiment' a little. Why don't you go and see if Integra and Walter are doing all right? Make sure to take the Police-Girl with you,"

"It's a pleasure. However, I'm sure they're fine. These things are going to be too easy for you, you do know this right?"

"Really now, what kind of idiot do you take me for?" Alucard asked, raising the Jackal and firing off a single round at the closest creature, not taking his eyes off Wynter.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Wynter asked. She hoisted Seras into her arms, spread her wings and pushed off into the air, leaving him behind to take care of the stragglers.

However, she'd only been in the air for not even a minute when a lightning fast hail of bullets lashed upward at her out of the blue. Wynter shrieked in surprise, flipping around so her back faced the storm of bullets, her wings taking the brunt of the hits. Even though it wasn't painful and she could regenerate, the laws of physics still applied and her tattered wings failed to support both her and Seras in the air. She now had two choices; drop Seras and attempt a safe landing on the roof, or plummet and hope they landed away from their attackers.

Wynter folded her wings, diving straight down, still holding onto Seras who remained unconscious. Wynter twisted her neck back and glimpsed the ground whizzing toward them. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut. Vampire or not, this was going to hurt a little bit.

Wynter smashed through a cracked beam and collided with the earth hard enough to stun her momentarily. The voices of the shooters could be heard approaching and Wynter shook her head, dazed as she sat up, ruffling her wings and shaking the dust and debris from them. She glanced down at Seras beside her. She hadn't gotten much from the fall and Wynter sighed in relief. She was okay. But they were soon going to be in huge trouble and Wynter was feeling a bit anxious by this point. What if her human persona returned in the middle of fighting? What then? She couldn't risk a fight until she knew for sure and whipped around for a place to hide the two of them. Seeing a large flat piece of roof lying against a wooden beam, she grabbed Seras around the waist and dragged her over, covering up their tracks as she went with her left wing. She shoved Seras beneath the slab and scrambled under herself, watching the feet of the men as they hurried inside.

"Do you see them?"

"No."

"Well find them! She couldn't have gotten far!"

Beside her, Seras began to awaken, opening her eyes faintly. Wynter clapped her hand over Seras's mouth and pushed them in deeper as one man came dangerously close. Wynter yanked a section of her hair and one wing around, shielding the two of them with them. The black melded into the darkness beneath the slab, hiding them from view as the man bent down to look underneath it.

"All clear!" he called, moving away. Wynter relaxed slightly and shuffled to the entrance of the hiding place, chancing a peek out. She glanced around and then squirmed out from the space, offering her hand to Seras, "It's all clear,"

At first, Seras moved slowly, staring at Wynter in disbelief. Wynter smiled, "What?"

"W-Wynter? Is it you?" Seras asked slowly.

"Of course, who else would it be?"

"Wynter!" Seras cried, throwing her arms around her and knocking them both backward, "You're back! You came back!"

"Ssh! Not so loud, they'll hear us!" Wynter hissed, throwing her off and clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry," Seras whispered sheepishly, "But the last I remember, we were attacked on all sides by those creepy…things! I don't even know what to call them!" Seras exclaimed.

"I spoke with Alucard. Those things are really nothing but intelligent ghouls, Seras. The only problem is that they're nearly indestructible. We have to find a way to kill them somehow,"

"So where is he, anyway?" Seras asked as they got to their feet.

"He stayed back to try to figure out their weakness. I took flight with you and got shot down, so I need to regenerate my wings before I can go out again. You need to find Sir Integra and Walter and tell them I've returned, but that I may end up regressing again, okay?"

Seras frowned, "What? You might go back to being Genevieve again? But why?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you, but I can sense her clearly, much more so than I did ten minutes ago. She's here. She may try to invade again and if and when she does, I'll have no way of defending you or anyone, much less myself."

Seras swallowed and nodded, scowling, "Right. I'll go find them."

She turned and hurried away as Wynter watched, sighing and closing her eyes, beginning the process of regeneration to her battered wings.

//ooo//

"She's returned?" Integra exclaimed as Seras breathlessly explained the entire situation.

"Yes! She came back for some reason! She's hiding right now, trying to reform her wings, but she wanted me to warn you that Genevieve might try to return," Seras said.

"Why would she come back?" Walter wondered, more to himself than to anyone in particular, "After all, the fact that she survived the transformation into a vampire was likely nothing more than a fluke in itself, so why return to her undead body?"

"This is gettin' too weird," Anderson grumbled.

"So now what?" Seras asked. Integra sighed and folded her arms, "Well, now we consider our options. Alucard is figuring out how to destroy these 'sophisticated ghouls', so we need to find Arakawa and shut down this mission before she detonates the bomb, which in theory could be at anytime. She clearly doesn't know of Wynter's current status, so this could work in our favor."

"I believe she's about two miles away, organizing a counter measure," Walter pointed out, "Though we have yet to see any frontal assaults at this time,"

"Then it's only a matter of time," Integra muttered, "Seras,"

"Yes?"

" Find Alucard. At this point, we need to organize all the remaining survivors of Arakawa's first attack. First things first, we have to get the controller for the bomb away from Arakawa and deactivate it before she can set it off, destroying the entire estate and everyone inside it. We also have to find out what we can do to keep Genevieve from reappearing for as long as possible, if in the event she decides to return."

//ooo//

Alucard sighed, removing the empty magazine from his weapon and discarding it, inserting a fresh one as he watched the creatures continue to get to their feet, no matter how many silver bullets he fired at them.

"I have to say, I'm quite impressed. Never before have I seen such incredible resistance by a vampiric creature to silver. This is my last magazine,"

He hesitated, however, upon noticing movement off to his right. He turned, peering over his glasses at Wynter as she approached, one wing folded upright and in perfect functioning order, the other dragging limply behind her, broken.

"Well, Seras is safe," she announced, "And she's off to warn Walter and Sir Integra,"

"I see," Alucard said, backing up a few feet as the creatures drew nearer, "That's good to know. In the meantime, I've noticed only one common trait in these eyesores,"

"Oh, and what's that?"

"That they become slower with each shot. But at this rate, it would take forty or fifty more shots each to bring them down," Alucard said, estimating.

"Great," Wynter grumbled, "So now what?"

"Now, you can surrender," a new voice said. Alucard and Wynter both whirled to the left, each taken by surprise. Several meters away stood a woman with a small army of heavily armored soldiers, each bearing a rifle with a silver bayonet attached to the barrel. Wynter scowled, "Well, well. You must be Takeshi's descendant, Arakawa. I see his wretched face in yours," she said, "It's about time you showed up"

"I'd heard an interesting rumor that you're reverted back to a human consciousness a little bit ago," Arakawa chimed, "I guess it was just a rumor after all. And this must be your master, the infamous vampire Alucard. It's good I get to meet both of you, as I plan to take both of you back with me."

"Tell me what for," Alucard said calmly.

"Because technically, you both should belong to us. After all, it was the information developed by my ancestor, Takeshi Arakawa that created you,"

"On the contrary, it was the other way around,"

Alucard smirked, turning. "Ah, Integra, how nice of you to join us," he said. Integra, followed by Walter, approached from the west sector. Seras, Helene, and Anderson were nowhere to be seen, but Wynter figured that Integra knew what she was doing.

"Integra Hellsing," Arakawa hissed, "So, the thief appears,"

"I would say the same to you, Ruka Arakawa," Integra said, "You seem to be a bit confused so allow me to fill in the details. The information you speak of that created Wynter as she is now, was originally developed by _my_ ancestors in their study of the occult and undead, specifically, their careful work kept on one individual in particular. I'm sure he needs no introduction," she said.

"Lies! All lies!" Arakawa shrieked. "The research was ours, so they belong to us. I'm here to claim back Wynter,"

Wynter just turned away bitterly. "I'm not going back. I'll never go back." She declared, clenching her fists. Arakawa smirked.

"Oh, and you think we're just going to listen to a monster like you?"

Wynter coughed in surprise, her head whipping up suddenly, "_Monster! You're_ calling _me_ a monster, Arakawa!" she exclaimed.

"Yes."

Wynter eyed her carefully. "Tell me, Arakawa, what makes a monster? You might say that it means you aren't human. That's true, however when you look at it from my perspective, you're the one who's the monster, here."

Arakawa's eyes flamed angrily, "How dare you, you little—"

"I'm not done. Keeping me imprisoned for twenty-four years, keeping me alive that whole time, testing drugs on me and experimenting on me, just because it was impossible for any of that to kill me. One drug made me tear my own throat out just to stop the burning. Another one caused me to go blind for a little over two months until my eyes regenerated completely. Face it Arakawa, you're the real monster here, not me,"

Arakawa hissed angrily. "Think what you want, you demon. In the meantime, we'll be taking you back with us,"

"I'd like to see you try," Wynter snarled. Arakawa held up a silver pocket watch, smiling smugly. Wynter frowned in confusion, but a few feet away, Walter gasped sharply.

"That's it!" he exclaimed, "That's the switch box for the explosives!"

"Explosives." Wynter said, but she stated it, almost like she were confirming it. Integra's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Wynter, do you mean that you already knew?"

Wynter shrugged, folding her arms and ruffling her wings, "Of course I knew. You think I wouldn't be aware of a foreign and rather painful object digging into the insides of my own body?" she asked. "No matter how much I try, I can't get it out. I've tried again and again, but nothing works, so I left it in there. It seems that I know understand its purpose."

With a sharp snap, her wings burst open and she glared at Arakawa.

"Sir Integra," she said, "Please get everyone away from this place. I intend to take care of this once and for all. I'm sick of looking at her,"

"I'm not going to do that," Integra replied simply, "For the main reason, I intend to defend this estate as well as the people still surviving within its depths."

Wynter hummed and beat her wings once, "Fine. Arakawa, you want to take me back, you'll earn that right in my domain!"

With a rush of wind, Wynter took to the skies, her great wings beating furiously as she soared up out of sight. Arakawa swore loudly, whipping out the pocket watch, "This'll stop that raging monster!"

A flash of light, a sharp swish and the watch flew from Arakawa's hand, carried by a razor-thin wire leading to the aged butler of Hellsing. He caught it deftly out of the air and grinned, "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I shall have to confiscate this," he said.

"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance," Arakawa snarled. "Shoot her down! Don't let her escape—"

_Bam!_

Arakawa froze in mid sentence, trembling in terror as she watched a small lock of her hair float gently to the ground, singed off by a single, well-placed bullet. Slowly, she revolved her eyes around to look at Alucard, raising the smoking barrel of his gun and grinning.

"I believe that my fledgling has issued you a challenge, Arakawa. Best to accept it. She can get rather...testy, when she's kept waiting," he said, baring his fangs in a morose sense of anticipation. Arakawa glanced up where a dark shape was wheeling through the sky, apparently waiting. A single black, bloodstained feather tumbled down, landing at her feet. She bit her lower lip in fury and whirled to one of her men, snatching his gun from him. Right then, everyone seemed to sense that a battle was beginning that was only meant for the two of them, the ancestor of the man who led the agency and the vampire girl he'd once controlled and who had taken his life to feed her own in return. Arakawa fired three shots into the air and as they watched, those bullets were suddenly struck with a powerful gust of wind, sending them rocketing back toward Arakawa who just barely ducked out of the way as they smashed into the ground at her feet. Snarling, grinding her teeth together, Arakawa reached into her coat pocket and withdrew a small cell phone.

Integra suddenly felt a horrible sinking feeling, but she had no time to dwell on it as something plowed into her, dragging her and Walter back and landing them behind a large slab of concrete. Alucard knelt beside them, frowning.

"Alucard, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Integra snapped. But she faltered when she saw his eyes. For once, they were dead serious. His face showed no sense of mockery or amusement (if you could call it that) whatsoever.

"I need the two of you to stay here," he said gravely, "This will not be an ordinary battle. This fight is fueled on vengeance alone, Integra. The way things are, no one is assured of their lives here," he said.

He focused on the scene before them, so completely out of character that Integra actually felt afraid. Just what was Wynter? She could make even Alucard second-guess his actions in a battle. Was Wynter truly Alucard's reincarnation like Walter said she was? Integra just stared at him, feeling more and more lost as this whole thing spun out of control.

//ooo//

Louis was busy patrolling the area with Seras and Helene. Anderson had gone off to assist his comrades with a few straggling monsters in the south sector. Louis knew that this whole mess was entirely his fault, but how on earth was he going to fix it? He didn't even know where to begin.

"Hey, Um, Mr. Von Brunswick?"

Louis turned at the sound of his name and smiled slightly at Seras. "Oh, hello," he said quietly, "I didn't notice you approach. Is there something I can do for you?"

Seras glanced away, humming. "I wanted to ask you something," she said.

"Go ahead,"

"Alucard's thrown bits and pieces out, but I still don't know the entire story. Why do you continue to try to win back Genevieve, even after all of this?"

Louis' eyes took on a faraway glaze and he sighed, "Ms. Victoria," he muttered,

"Oh please, call me Seras," Seras said, smiling. He chuckled.

"All right then, Seras it is. Genevieve Du Beaumont was an extraordinary human. She never found out what I was, not until the night I killed her family, but we'd been close friends since she was young. She always found it amazing that I never seemed to age, calling me magic when she was a child. I think that I grew to love her when she was still small," he mumbled. "Genevieve was always wise, even as a child. I could never fool her. If I tried to make myself appear older to keep her from noticing, she'd notice anyway. It's why I'm still surprised that she never realized what I really was. I contented myself with waiting, waiting for fourteen long years until she was old enough to marry. That's when I asked for her hand." he said so quietly that she had to strain to hear him.

"But she turned you down?"

"She did. She told me that I was too late, that she'd been engaged for several months by then, but had been forced to keep it a secret because her family didn't approve of him. She also told me that she hoped we could stay in touch. I suppose that's when I lost it, for two nights later, I murdered her family and attempted to turn her. She escaped from me, stabbing me with a burning wooden stake from a fallen rafter of her home. She ran into Alucard, her thirst for vengeance driving her to demand that he turn her. Once I discovered this, I knew she was out of my reach for good, as I had no hope against Alucard."

Seras frowned, chewing her lower lip.

"I see," she said. "That makes sense, but it seems cruel,"

"What does?"

Seras shook her head, "This whole situation. Wynter was miserable when she reverted back to being a human. Mr. Von Brunswick—"

"Now it's your turn, Seras, call me Louis," he said, smiling.

"Okay then, Louis," Seras answered, though her smile quickly died, "When Genevieve returned to Wynter's body after so long, time had stopped for her. She was terrified of you, Louis. I think that the real Genevieve Du Beaumont must have died the night you killed her family and that Wynter probably existed for a short while before she was turned."

Louis frowned in thought, "What you're saying makes sense, Seras. But it only increased my guilt for my actions," he muttered.

Seras wasn't sure how to respond. In all truth, she still wasn't sure what to think about Louis. For several months, she'd been taught to think he was their main objective, their true goal. It turned out that he was a scapegoat for the agency that aimed to recapture Wynter and release the versions of her recreation on the countryside. For all she knew, they were already on their way. But Louis was just sad, that's all. He regretted his actions, knowing full well that nothing could be done for the present situation. He was lost and only becoming more so than before. Seras almost felt sorry for him.

"Seras! Seras, come quick!"

"Helene?" Seras exclaimed, whirling. She and Louis hurried over to where Helene stood by the helicopter, pointing at something in the sky.

"What is that?" Seras asked, frowning.

A large black object hovered in the sky, swirling madly and apparently growing in mass. Seras could see shots fired from the ground at the object, only to be deflected off its surface before they could reach. That was when it occurred to her what it was.

"Wynter!" she cried. "We need to get back, now!"

The black shape exploded into a sharp funnel, cascading toward the ground. Emerging at its center, Seras spotted those familiar red eyes.

"She's diving!"

//ooo//

Arakawa's eyes widened in alarm as Wynter burst from her protective shield of shadow matter, stretching her wings out before folding them tight. Her power radiated from every cell of her body, turning every part of her jet black, except for her eyes, which blazed in sharp contrast. She plummeted toward her and Arakawa barely had time to duck out of the way as Wynter smashed into the ground, scattering an enormous cloud of dust into the air.

Watching from a distance, Alucard smirked for the first time in a while.

"She's toying with her," he said, "Arakawa is human and therefore, no match for Wynter. Wynter's just playing around," he said as if he were speaking of a child at a playground.

Arakawa whipped the gun in a sharp arc, aiming for the center of the second black vortex swirling on the ground as Wynter straightened up. The white gown she'd been wearing was gone, replaced by her usual black cloak. It must have regenerated along with her wings. She opened her mouth, revealing her sharp, elongated fangs. Arakawa realized then that as she was, she was no match for Wynter.

Integra frowned; she'd realized this too.

"Alucard, there's something I'm not seeing here," she said, "You said that this would be a battle royale to that extent. But if what you said is true, that Wynter is just playing around, then this will be absolutely nothing. Once she gets in range, she'll wrench Arakawa's head off like it was nothing,"

"True. However, you're forgetting one thing, Integra. Think back. What is the one thing that you and Arakawa have in common?"

Integra stared at him in bewilderment. Then she closed her eyes, wracking her brain for the answer. It hit like a tidal wave.

"Control!" she exclaimed, "I keep you under control with the Cromwell Seal! Arakawa must have an alternate means of controlling Wynter!"

"Precisely," Alucard said, though the smugness was gone. Integra knew that this was going to get quite serious.

Wynter took a single step forward, flexing her wings in and out. She let out a menacing snarl, her eyes flaming beneath the shadow of her hair. Again, Integra was disturbed by the similarities between Wynter and Alucard. Alucard was wrong; it wasn't just coincidence, it was planned this way.

Arakawa took a shaky step back, never taking her eyes off of Wynter.

"I see that my grandfather was right in keeping you restrained like you were recorded to be," Arakawa hissed, "You're as powerful as his journal describes,"

"Thank you," Wynter said, "And you are a lost remnant of a foolish old man who dared to keep a vampire prisoner against her will. I killed him easily when I was released. I tore his head off like I'd snap a twig. His blood was foul, but I drank it anyway to give me the strength I so craved in order to be free once again,"

Wynter had pulled her right arm into her cloak. She suddenly drew it forth again, black as night and extending into pure shadow matter, the blackness creeping along her skin, gradually turning her black. In contrast, the black in her hair began to bleed away, fading to a dull silver as it did, the black coloring dripping from the tips of her hair into liquid shadow matter pooling at her feet, aiding to her power.

"So then, Ruka Arakawa," Wynter mumbled, "Do you still wish to control me?"

Arakawa's features hardened. She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled something out. Wynter's eyes flickered in curiosity.

"Oh? What have you got there? Some pitiful attempt to stop me from ending your wretched existence?"

Arakawa held it up. It was a matchbox, plain and simple. She opened it up, shaking it lightly. Wynter's eyes narrowed first and then widened in extreme horror as she began to choke and scream in agony, falling back into her cloud of shadow matter and vanishing from sight, though her shrieks of torture could still be heard.

"Do you see now, Wynter?" Arakawa taunted, "This is our second best means of controlling you. Holy incense, obtained from the Pope himself. So long as this incense burns near you, you're rendered incapacitated, like so!" she yelled. The shadow matter had begun to withdraw like a surge into Wynter's body, finally withering down to a small, black ribbon that wound around Wynter's neck, dissipating into her flesh and vanishing. Wynter lay limply on the ground, gasping and clutching her throat in pain.

"It burns...oh, god _it burns_!" she exclaimed hoarsely, "Arakawa, what did you do to me!" she cried, writhing in agony.

"Nothing compared to what we're planning to do to you," Arakawa hissed. "I have enough supplied incense to last for months, even years! I can obtain more from the Pope in my mission to control you for the good of mankind. Now, just to make sure you get the message," she said smugly, motioning her men forward. They braced their silver bayonets in Wynter's direction. She could only look on helplessly as they moved closer, aiming to stab her with them. Wynter was paralyzed; there was nothing to be done.

"All right, it seems my cue has arrived," Alucard said suddenly, moving between the men and Wynter in the blink of an eye. They faltered in shock, falling back. Alucard drew the Jackal, releasing the safety.

"This is the third time," he said, "Perhaps I'll have better luck this time around,"

Arakawa just smirked and shook the box of incense in his direction.

"You may be Hellsing's crown achievement, Alucard, but you're still no match for the Holy incense! After all, look what it's done to your poor fledgling! She can't even move! She's rendered completely helpless!"

"Yes, she has. But she's still far too weak for anything greater to be expected of her," Alucard said. He grinned morbidly at Arakawa's stunned expression when he moved closer to the box of incense, closing his eyes. It seemed he was enjoying the scent.

"That smells nice," he commented, "Tell me, what's it made of?"

"H-H-How are s-still moving? You should be completely helpless!" Arakawa screamed.

Alucard chuckled, "I'm sorry, but it seems that the research you received was still incomplete, Arakawa. Perhaps Wynter isn't my equal after all. What a shame," he said gleefully.

"What on earth does that mean?" Arakawa hissed in a strangled voice, "Tell me! Why won't it work on you?"

Alucard just turned, glancing down at Wynter's paralyzed form, her eyes the only source of movement on her. She looked up at him, completely weakened by the incense.

"Mas...ter...." she mumbled quietly. Alucard smiled lightly.

"Don't try to talk, Wynter. You're in bad shape right now. Honestly, how can you expect to be a true creature of darkness when you keel over from simple incense?" he said. "It shows you still have a lot to learn about what it means to be a vampire,"

"Guess...I...do...."

Alucard turned back to Arakawa. Then he smirked. "I don't think you're even worth unlocking the Cromwell Seal for, not even to the lowest level," he said, chuckling. "So I'll just have to deal with you at my current level,"

Arakawa visibly shook and then seemed to crumble in on herself. She took a deep breath, "Last resort! Last resort remote detonation!" she screeched.

This stopped Alucard in his tracks as he realized what that meant. He whirled to Wynter, eyes wide in alarm. "No, they've got a remote detonation system!" he exclaimed. He turned back to where Walter stood holding the silver watch, watching in disbelief.

"Walter! Integra! Get out of here now!" he yelled. _Now_, it was _very, very_ serious. If the bomb inside Wynter went off, everyone in the immediate vicinity would be blown away. He had no idea where Seras and the others were; he could only hope they were sheltered somewhere. He wasn't concerned about getting hit by the blast himself; regeneration from any form of destruction to his body was a simple task for him. But Walter and Integra were human and well...he just...well, to be frank, he found funerals incredibly boring.

Arakawa's men scrambled for shelter as she activated the detonation code through her cell phone as an ultimate last resort.

"Even if I die in this, at least Hellsing won't win," she growled, casting a glance at Wynter, just managing to sit up ever so slightly, moaning in pain. "I'll take you to Hell with me, demon,"

Wynter raised her eyes, smiling. "See you there," she mumbled.

Integra leaped to her feet and hesitated, glancing back once at Wynter, who'd lost strength in her arms supporting her and collapsed back down on the ground.

"Walter," Integra said, "Is there nothing we can do for her?"

"No, ma'am," Walter said without hesitation, though he clearly wasn't happy with it, "There is nothing to be done. We have to get out of the blast range. This will likely destroy what remains of the estate,"

As they hurried into the wreckage of the Hellsing's main building, Integra's eyes narrowed.

_I sure hope Seras and the others made it out all right,_

//ooo//

Louis had heard Arakawa's scream of detonation and panicked. By this point, Anderson had shown up again and it took the combined efforts of both him and Seras to hold Louis back at the other end of the estate, in full view of what was about to happen.

"No! No, let me go! Let me go!" Louis bellowed.

"Agh, why am Ah savin' a bloody vampire?" Anderson growled.

"Because for the moment, we're allies, Father Anderson!" Seras replied, "You can have your try at killing him when this is over!"

"Ah look forward to it,"

They threw Louis back against the crumbling wall on the edge of the estate. This time, he stopped fighting, watching anxiously.

"I can hear her," he muttered, "She's going to detonate the bomb!"

Beside them, Helene started screaming, "We can't let them! Vampire or not, she's still my sister!"

"It's too late," Seras cried, "We need to get out of here! The blast front will kill us!"

They all ducked behind the wall, Seras dragging a screaming Helene behind her. Anderson hummed, pulling a crucifix out of his pocket.

"This is gon'na get ugly," he muttered.

Arakawa's fingers shook as she fumbled with the last few digits, continually watching Wynter.

"Aren't you even going to try to stop me?" she demanded. Wynter blinked slowly, still too weak.

"Why? All I can do is wait for the final blow, right?"

"Correct! This is that final blow!"

Wynter caught sight of Alucard standing several meters away, watching. He knew there was nothing he could do. Even if they stopped Arakawa, the code had almost been put through. It would eventually activate automatically no matter what they did at this point. Arakawa reached the last digit, tears streaming from her eyes. Wynter drew a quick breath.

"You're scared to die," she said. Arakawa paused on the SEND button, looking up in disbelief.

"Wha— what did you say to me?"

"You're scared to die. You've spent so long cheating death by chasing after me, yet now, faced with death, you resist his cold embrace. Death really isn't so bad, Arakawa. He's like an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. He comes to you gently, inviting you along with him. He doesn't force you along, but you choose whether or not to accompany him. He then takes you on a lovely, lovely journey to an everlasting peace,"

"And how the hell would you know that?"

Wynter smiled, "Because I've died, Arakawa," she said gently.

Arakawa gritted her teeth. She pressed the button.

"Go to Hell!" she screamed.

Wynter gasped, eyes widening in sudden fear.

Alucard braced for the coming blow, clenching his fists. A third time. _A third time! _

Suddenly, Wynter's wings erupted outward, flapping viciously against the ground and lifting her to her feet, Clutching the fabric around her chest and gasping, she beat her wings harder than ever, soaring up into the air and flapping as hard as she possibly could, gaining altitude with the last remaining bit of her strength. She cried out in pain as it split through her body, her wings failing as she began to tumble back to earth and her last conscious thought echoed through her mind.

_To think, I never saw this coming._

Down below, about fifty feet, the blast was deafening. Alucard felt himself being driven back by the shock waves, the force strong enough to superheat the air around them. Remaining pieces of the Hellsing estate cracked and crumbled under the immense pressures, the flames from the explosion licking the earth and sending dust and debris into the air. Alucard felt his senses temporarily deaden with all of the new interference. He heard Arakawa screaming in terror nearby, even as the blast and the noise began to fade, the air settling around them. Alucard opened his eyes, taking in the scene around him as it calmed. The blast had taken all of half a minute and the damage was clear as it fell to the ground in tattered pieces. Before him, a single black feather drifted lazily down from the sky. He held his hand out and it landed gently in his palm as he stared at it.

"That's just like you, Wynter," he whispered, "You do things that no one, not even me, ever expected you to do. Saving the rest of them by taking to the skies at the last moment. How very human of you,"

He stared up into the clearing dust cloud, at the sky that was slowly returning to view once again.


	19. Nineteen

A/N: Here it is! The end! The last chapter! But be sure to read the author's note at the very end. It's got some important information for you people who have been so faithfully reading my work. Thank you all so very much, especially MarzBarz! You, my friend, are awesome! This chapter goes to you!

Nineteen

Silence. Still, cold silence. The aftermath of the blast.

Integra's ears rang from the sheer force of the silence itself. She never thought that silence could be so deafening. Through the clearing smoke, she could see Alucard's shadow moving about. But she expected nothing less; of course he was going to be fine, no matter where he stood.

"Walter," she said, glancing around. He sat a few feet away, rubbing his forehead painfully. "Agh, that's going to leave a bit of a mark," he grumbled, "Sir Integra, I trust you're unharmed?"

"Yes. I think it's over. Wynter took to the sky at the last moment. Everyone down here survived the explosion," she muttered.

She got to her feet, moving out from the area and approaching Arakawa, still sitting on the ground and shaking badly. Her wild eyes stared hard at something on the ground.

It was a lock of pure black hair, singed from the blast. Integra bristled, chilled, but ignored it and stood over Arakawa. She sighed, wishing she had one her cigars right then.

"All right," she said, "I'm assuming that that was a last resort choice and that you never expected to make it out alive. Am I correct?"

"W-Won't...won't l-let you w-w-win!" Arakawa babbled. Integra ran her hand through her hair, staring irritably at her.

"Arakawa, all I'm going to say is that you're hardly worth it. For everything you've done, you're really beyond human laws and I really ought to allow Alucard to deal with you if he chose to. But I think I'll hold off on that. I have a feeling your rotten blood would only serve to make him ill."

Integra turned on her heels and stalked off, leaving Arakawa there in stunned silence.

Alucard stood in the center of the blast field, staring off into space. He glanced around as Integra approached, but made no other movements. Integra paused beside her servant, gazed around at the wreckage, and sighed again.

"This won't bode well with the Round Table," she muttered. "I'm surprised that more hasn't already been done,"

"Give them time, Integra," Alucard said. "After all, humans will be humans to the very end,"

"You speak of Genevieve?"

"Yes. I can't see Wynter doing what she did by herself. She must have had help."

"We already knew that Wynter was different. But in the end, it's like you said; Hellsing's research was incomplete at the time of the betrayal. Therefore, Wynter was incomplete."

"This probably proves what you said before. Genevieve was likely Wynter's way of dealing with her new found strength. I'm willing to bet that the Genevieve we saw wasn't even real in the end,"

Neither of them made a move at the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.

"Wynter! Wynter!"

Seras skidded to a halt, eyes wide at the damage. She took in Arakawa sitting on the ground and the devastation of the estate.

"So then, she's..." Seras mumbled. "But what happened?"

"I agree," Louis said, coming up behind her, "That blast should have destroyed everything within a mile of this place," He was clearly upset about what had happened, but had managed to pull himself together enough to inquire upon the events of the past ten minutes.

"Wynter summoned up the last bit of her strength and fled to the sky, taking the brunt of the blast with her," Alucard said.

"So...so she's gone, then," Seras mumbled, gazing down at the ground sadly.

Several meters behind them, a small group of the Iscariots had assembled, some worse for the wear as apparent new recruits. Anderson stood talking to them, seemingly relaying orders. Then he turned and strode over, his face grim.

"A' right, Hellsing," he said wearily, "The danger's past, the enemy rendered useless. Ah doon't know about you, but we're settin' up to head back,"

"Do as you like," Integra said, "The Vatican's business has been completed, therefore you officially have no more business in London,"

Anderson turned and headed back to his comrades. "We're still missin' a few o' our number, Hellsing. We'll find 'em first and then leave," he called back without turning around. Integra watched them go, knowing full well that he spoke the truth. Anderson may have been their sworn nemesis, but he was a man of his word.

Beside Seras, Helene stared at the ground, her face void of all expression as she contemplated what had happened.

"I can't believe it," she mumbled, "She's gone. This time...this time, she's really, really gone,"

Integra looked from her, to Seras, and then from Seras over to Walter standing a good distance away, speaking on a cell phone. He turned to them, holding his hand over the speaker as he addressed Integra, "Ma'am, the Prime Minister is on the line. He wants to know what's been happening here tonight and he doesn't sound all that pleased,"

"Tell him that I'll get back to him as soon as possible," Integra said, "Our first priority is the safe retrieval of the prisoners and the recovery of the survivors,"

Walter nodded and turned away to relay the news to the irritated Prime Minister. She glanced at Alucard and that was when she noticed the feather he still carried.

"So," she said, "What do you plan to do with that?"

"I thought I'd keep it," Alucard replied simply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Integra smirked lightly. "Oh? Don't tell me you've suddenly developed a sense of sentimentality, Alucard,"

"I sometimes get the feeling that you forget who I _really_ am, Integra," Alucard said with a leer.

But he froze suddenly, frowning. He glanced down at the ground around them as it began to seemingly slither along beneath their feet. Integra's eyes widened and she stepped back involuntarily, watching the strange, dark tendrils being drawn toward the center of the blast area. Alucard glanced down at the feather he held and watched, a smirk splitting his face as it floated back up into the air, following the mass of darkness and getting swallowed up by it.

"Well," he said, "Perhaps she wasn't as incomplete as we thought,"

"You mean...this is...?" Integra muttered. A few feet away, Seras, Helene and Louis all paused in their conversation to stare in amazement at the mass of shadow matter gathering on the ground, slowly growing bigger and bigger as more was absorbed from the debris around them. Soon, a human form began to take shape, growing clearer and more solid with each second. It got to its feet slowly, black cloak billowing with the fluctuations of power. The black cleared, bleeding away from the pale skin. Hair as dark as night pulled away from the mass, flowing free in the slight breeze whipping around them.

Wynter shook her head, sighing heavily as she opened her eyes wearily. "Whew," she exclaimed, "That was hard! I wasn't sure I could pull it off,"

"Wynter!" Seras screeched, dashing forward and throwing her arms around the elder vampire. Wynter yelled in surprise and lost her balance, sending them both sprawling.

"Ow! Seras, get the heck off of me!" Wynter exclaimed.

"You're alive! We thought you were dead!"

"Well I'm not, so would you get off!"

Integra shook her head, regaining her composure. Now she _really_ wished she had a cigar.

Alucard chuckled and pulled something out of his coat pocket, handing it to her. Integra just stared blankly.

"Here," he said, "I had a feeling you might want this,"

"Alucard, why do you have one of my cigars with you?" Integra asked, snatching it from him and pulling her lighter out of her pocket. She wasn't in the mood to let her stubborn pride rule her right then.

"Because I know you, Integra," he answered cheerfully. Integra sighed, placing the lighter back into her pocket, "Perhaps too well, Alucard," she grumbled.

Wynter shoved Seras away and struggled to her feet. It was almost moot to say it, but she seemed rather pale. She smiled weakly.

"Damn it feels good not having that bomb inside me anymore! I guess that's _one _way of getting rid of it," she exclaimed suddenly.

"Genevieve,"

Wynter turned away at the sound of her old name, focusing on Helene. Wynter blinked slowly as recognition set in. Helene stood, wide-eyed, staring at Wynter as if she were an apparition. She slowly inched closer, reaching out shakily.

"Genevieve," she mumbled, "You're still alive, aren't you?"

"Good evening, Helene," Wynter said pleasantly. "How are you doing? I don't remember perfectly, but if I recall, you were rather tiny the last time I saw you. You've grown quite a bit," she said quietly.

Helene's face scrunched childishly and with a wail, she threw herself at Wynter, burying her face in the fabric of her cloak.

"Big sister!" she sobbed. Wynter, though somewhat surprised, smiled faintly and embraced her. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, Helene?" she asked.

"I th-thought you were dead!" Helene wailed. Wynter chuckled.

"Stop crying, Helene, you're going to make me cry, too. You don't want that, right?" she asked in a breaking voice.

Integra turned away, heading toward the ruins of the main building. Alucard followed her, grinning.

"Alucard," Integra said, "You knew that Wynter would regenerate, didn't you?"

"Actually, I had no idea her level was that high," he answered. "Perhaps I was right the first time; perhaps she is my equal,"

"Hm," Integra said. "In the meantime, we've won this fight. I'll have Sir Penwood send over a squad to take Arakawa and her remaining men into custody. I'm just glad this bloody mess is all over,"

Alucard watched her as she left to oversee the retrieval of the prisoners Arakawa had taken. He glanced back at Wynter, talking to Helene and Seras. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head.

"No, Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, you're wrong," he muttered, "It may be over for the moment, but this fight will never end. Always waiting just around the corner, just out of sight, it's there, ready to strike us when we least expect it. Isn't that right, Wynter?" he said, "After all, you of all vampires should know best. You've shed your wings of purity, replaced them with wings of sin, yet you continue to struggle on. Because when it all comes down to it, that's all you have to rely on anymore,"

/ooo/

She saw them off by her lonesome, the only one willing to do so. Helene was to return to the Vatican with the Iscariots. Wynter knew that she could no longer be Helene's sister. Helene knew her only as Genevieve. Wynter had next to no memories of Helene or of her life as Genevieve.

Helene stood by the gates glowering at the vampire that used to be her sister. The Iscariots waited several meters away.

"You're a walking corpse," Helene spat, "You're a shadow of Genevieve,"

Wynter nodded slowly, solemnly, "That's correct, Helene. I am no longer your kin. It would be wise for you to forget about me,"

"You know about the rest of our family, right?" Helene said bitterly, "Our brother's descendants, living in Italy?"

"I do. They know nothing of me." Wynter stated plainly.

"They know about me," Helene said, "I went to them as a cousin. They're still your family, Genevieve. You need to visit them," Helene practically growled.

"Impossible, Helene. I'm a vampire, now. I have no place in our family, anymore," Wynter said quietly. "You seem to forget that I'm no longer human. You also seem to forget that the name Genevieve no longer belongs to me. My name is now Wynter,"

"So that's it? You'll spend eternity alone? You're an immortal! You could at least try!"

Wynter chuckled dryly, bitterly, "Helene, there's no such thing as an immortal," she said. She turned to go back to the ruined estate. Helene searched frantically for something to say, finally settling on one thing: "Genevieve! You listen to me! I'm going to be the one to kill you! Understand? I want to kill you!"

Wynter paused and glanced back, smiling faintly, "I look forward to it, Helene," she said cheerfully. Helene grumbled to herself and stalked away, ignoring the tears gathering in her eyes, "Fine then," she snarled. She closed her eyes as she left; _Goodbye...sister..._

/ooo/

The manor was in shambles.

The estate scarred and slashed.

The survivors wounded and bleeding.

Only four prisoners survived their conditions.

Integra wanted to blame herself for what happened. She said that having left in the middle of a fight to chase a hopeless cause to Marseilles, it was her fault. Wynter didn't let her. On threat of injury, Integra was forced to admit that she was not to blame, that no one was. It was just what happened. It was just the way it was.

Wynter knew that for her, it was over. The agency was officially disbanded, the Japanese government severing all ties with Arakawa's institute of vampire creation. It turns out that several natural vampire specimens still remained incarcerated within the walls of the institute. They'd been found by Japanese officials who were sent to investigate. To the shock of everyone there, the vampires who were found and released actually got down on their knees and thanked their human rescuers. This gave some insight into the nightmarish conditions that Wynter and her kin endured at the hands of Arakawa's ancestors. Many of the specimens escaped soon after release, fleeing into the wild countries of northern Europe and Asia. Grateful though they were, they were still monsters and the humans didn't trust them at all.

Wynter decided that it would be in the best interests of everyone if she tracked down these originals and recruited them to her side. Perhaps, sharing common bitterness against the institute, they could find peace together, rather than apart.

One week after the devastation to Hellsing's London headquarters, Wynter stood on the ruined grounds, staring out at the sunset. Twilight was a safe time for vampires, for the sun's power was beginning to fade. Seras stood with her, sadly staring down at the ground.

"I don't understand, Wynter," she said, "How come you want to leave?"

"I'm a nomad, Seras. I've never once felt the need to keep a coffin or to remain rooted in one place. There are many worlds out there that I have yet to explore and I look forward to it greatly. Besides, in all truth, I have no place here."

"But that's not true! You do have a place here! Besides, without you, it'll be really lonely again," Seras added silently.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving until everything's straightened out, Seras," Wynter assured her with a smile. They both turned, having sensed him long before he appeared. Alucard approached, his glasses blazing the last of the sun's light.

"Wynter," he said, "Can I have a word with you?"

Wynter nodded and turned to Seras, tilting her head in the direction of the ruined manor. At the gate, Integra stood watching blankly as Seras came over to stand beside her.

"I wonder what he wants to talk to her about," Seras mumbled.

"Who could really know, Seras?" Integra mumbled. "The fact of the matter is that Alucard's failures continue to eat away at him. For him, failure is never an option. But even so, he has failed three times to protect a fledgling vampire from harm."

"You mean Wynter?"

"Yes. I'm sure that by now, you've realized that Wynter isn't your run-of-the-mill vampire, Seras,"

Seras nodded slowly, "I've noticed that. How she was so good with a gun the first time, or how strong she is."

"You've only skimmed the surface, Seras," Integra told her, "Wynter and Alucard are the same. It doesn't matter how strong Wynter may become; she will _always_ fall beneath his shadow for one reason alone; that she was created to _be_ him in every conceivable way,"

Seras stared out toward the edge of the grounds where Alucard and Wynter stood talking quietly. "That sounds like a difficult life," Seras pointed out.

"Maybe, or maybe not," Integra said to her, "After all, Wynter is still incomplete as a vampire. While she has managed to drink blood of her own will, she's still bound to Alucard. Traditionally, fledgling vampires drink the blood of their sires both as a way to free themselves and to signify their blossoming power. But Wynter never got a chance. Now, she walks the earth, incomplete. I have strong reason to believe that she will ultimately choose to remain this way. Now, come along, Seras, there's work to be done," Integra said, turning and heading back toward the manor. Seras cast one final look at Wynter and sighed. But as she turned to go, movement caught her eye. Alucard stood a few feet away from Wynter, holding his right arm. As she watched, he slashed at his arm with something sharp and Seras gasped. He was offering his blood to Wynter. She seemed to be considering it and Seras found she was frozen in anticipation. Would Wynter free herself from Alucard and become a true member of the vampire world?

Finally, Wynter turned away, refusing. Alucard appeared to be trying to persuade her, but she wouldn't be moved. Finally, he pushed his sleeve down and folded his arms, telling her something. Seras was unable to hear from this distance and she found she wanted to badly, but something told her that she wasn't meant to. She sighed and turned away, hurrying in the direction Integra had gone.

"So, what do you intend to do now?" Alucard asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Wynter replied, "After all, I'm truly free now. In theory, I could finally settle down somewhere like a normal vampire if I wanted to."

Alucard chuckled dryly, "Wynter, you are not a normal vampire," he said.

"You already knew that. Of course, now, knowing what I really am, it's a little depressing. After all, there isn't enough room in this world for two of you," she joked.

"But despite everything that you've been told, you're not me, Wynter," Alucard said sternly, fixing her with an equally stern glare, "The research that created you was incomplete, therefore, you are incomplete,"

"And that's a good thing. Such a half-baked style is proof of myself, master. If it were more noticeable, I would say that these abilities as they are now belong to none other than myself. It gives me my own individuality from you,"

Alucard smiled and sighed, shaking his head, "Even a hundred and fifty years later, you haven't changed,"

Wynter closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze, "And neither have you. You're still the same as you were the day I met you. It's comforting knowing that a small part of this life hasn't changed over the century. But still...with Helene and Louis, it's always going to be difficult,"

"How so?"

"Helene still wishes to kill me," Wynter mumbled, "And Louis, though he has calmed, has returned to Marseille to see to the reconstruction of the Du Beaumont mansion. He intends to track down my family in Italy and bring them back to France,"

Alucard sighed heavily, rolling his shoulders back as he placed his hands in his coat pockets. "A foolish one, he is," he grumbled, "An original with a arrogant side,"

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Wynter growled. "Your arrogance couldn't fit in Jupiter's red spot!"

Alucard snickered madly, eying her in amusement. "And your wit has certainly doubled over the years. Your wisdom is finally beginning to surface," he said.

"It's rare for you to compliment someone, so I'll thank you for it," she said, smiling triumphantly. Then, she sighed and turned out toward the fading light. He cast a hidden glance at her out of the corner of his eye. A slight breeze rippled through her dark hair, the dying sunlight reflecting in her blazing red eyes. He couldn't place it, but there was something about her that was extremely different from the Wynter he'd known before Arakawa's ancestor intervened.

"Wynter," he said, "Tell me something. In all your years of wandering, did you ever one experience love?"

"What an unusual thing for you to say," Wynter muttered, "But to answer your question, yes, I did. His name was Tobias. He was the only person to ever treat me like I was a living being, not just a monster. He actually stood up to me to defend his coworkers and I respected that."

"Ah, so that's it," Alucard said. Wynter looked at him strangely. "You're being weird, master, just what is that supposed to mean?"

"There was something different about you, Wynter. I now what it is. You've seen firsthand the kind of creatures human beings are. After all, I saw firsthand the kind of human you were, once. However, you should know that there are times when I regret turning you,"

"And you should know there are times when I regret asking you to turn me," Wynter countered quietly, "However, I am glad for the time you spent as my master. I never got a chance to thank you for everything. After all, you saved my life, Alucard," Wynter added silently. Alucard was a bit startled at this, but he said nothing. He just turned back toward the reddish line on the horizon as the sun dipped deeper and deeper over the landscape, gradually throwing England into silent darkness.

Alucard suddenly reached out, giving Wynter a gentle shove that completely wrong-footed her, knocking her down entirely. She shook her head, dazed slightly, and glared up at him.

"What the hell was that for?" she demanded.

"You're still not steady on your feet, Wynter. I barely touched you," he said, peering down at her over his glasses. Wynter blinked in astonishment and leaped to her feet, "You were testing me! At least warn me next time!"

"How many warnings are you going to get on the battlefield?" he asked bemusedly. Wynter made a funny choking noise and fell silent, crossing her arms and sulking. "Jerk," she growled.

Alucard just laughed.

/ooo/

Wynter folded her cloak up, spreading her wings delicately. Walter stood off a few feet away, face grave as he watched.

"Are you quite certain you wish to leave so suddenly?" he asked.

"Yeah,"

"What about Ms. Victoria? I know it really isn't my business to say so, but I do believe she'll be quite crushed if you don't say goodbye,"

"We're vampires, Walter. It isn't like I'll never see her again. Of course, you and Sir Integra are a different matter, so I'll definitely have to come back soon," Wynter answered, flexing her wings in and out to get the blood circulating. Walter sighed. "I suppose you know what you're doing. However, I'm quite aware that a single human life is a blink of an eye to your kind. You're in danger of losing track of time, Wynter," he said grimly. Wynter's eyes narrowed ponderously and she folded her wings around herself.

"I know," she mumbled, "And I also know that I might be making a mistake in sneaking off like this. But it'll just be harder to leave if I try to say goodbye. Besides, I don't want to disappoint Seras,"

Walter just watched as she smoothed down the fabric of her cloak, fanning her wings out and turning around, heading toward the gate.

"Does Alucard know you're leaving?"

"I'm sure that by now, he's already sensed it. He told me that I'm nothing like him, but that's not true. I was created to _be_ him, so therefore, I really have no place in Hellsing. I'll tell you this much, though, Walter," she said, twisting her head around to look at him. Her expression was serene, "I really do like it here. For the first time in over half a century, I felt like I belonged somewhere. I suppose being the monster that I am, that feeling is rather rare, wouldn't you say?"

"I quite agree. However, don't you think you'd be a valuable asset if you remained?" Walter asked. He knew that Alucard had likely discovered Wynter's intentions and would probably let it slip to Seras and Integra within a few minutes. He was trying to stall for time.

"Probably. But I also think I'd be a hindrance, if nothing else,"

By this point, Walter was out of ideas to hold her. Fortunately, fate was on his side. Before Wynter could take off, they heard it; hurried footsteps approaching rapidly just seconds before Seras appeared around the building, eyes wide.

"Wynter! Wait!"

Wynter rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great,"

Seras rushed over and Walter was surprised to see Alucard, Integra, and, even more surprising, Wally Copperfield headed toward them.

Wynter blinked in surprise and then glared irritably at Walter, "You were stalling me, weren't you?" she grumbled. Walter chuckled, "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid," he said mirthfully.

Integra hummed, smiling slightly, "I have to give you credit for trying, Wynter. I asked him to stall your departure because we have something for you take along,"

Wynter frowned. Integra was carrying a cherry wood box with her. She handed it to the aging butler who took it, holding it out to Wynter. Seras watched blankly as Wynter opened it up, revealing a white handgun, a magazine of silver bullets included. Wynter wordlessly removed it from the velvet lining, inserting the magazine with a snap and locking the safety. Then, she handed it back. "I don't use guns," she said bluntly.

"You're leaving Hellsing," Integra said, "Therefore, Walter, Alucard, and myself believe it necessary for to get in the practice of using a more modern weapon. That's a special customized firearm for you," she explained.

"Customized?"

Walter cleared his throat, "There's only one other like it," he said with evident pride in his voice, "This pistol is actually a miniaturized version of Alucard's Jackal. Nine millimeters in length, weighing twelve kilograms, this one can hold a magazine of six rounds as well. Like the Jackal, this one is still too powerful for any human."

Wynter eyed it skeptically. "What kind of bullets does it use?" she asked.

"I took the liberty of designing the Jackal II to use both explosive and mercury charged bullets. As with the Jackal, the same NNA9 Marvel Cartridges. But the casings will typically be silver for combat against undead forces. Why don't you give it a go?" he suggested, stepping away so she could take aim at the far wall. Alucard pulled out his own weapon, took sharp aim and fired all in one swift movement. A small black crack formed on the rocks a good eighty meters away.

"Aim for the center of that," he told her, "If you make it, you're worthy of owning that weapon,"

Wynter scowled. "You're toying with me, aren't you?" she grumbled. But she took her stance, released the safety, aimed and shot off a single round. Seras watched in amazement as the bullet found its mark in the direct center of the target. Alucard just smirked, expecting nothing less.

Wynter relocked the safety and folded the weapon into the fabric of her cloak. "Thank you," she said tonelessly.

"There's one other thing," Integra said, stepping forward. She held something in her right hand, holding it out to Wynter. "During the time you've spent here, you've served Hellsing admirably well, Wynter," she said, "Therefore, on behalf of the Hellsing Organization, I present you with this,"

She opened her hand, revealing a small brooch in the shape of a shield bearing the Hellsing's coat of arms.

"If you choose to accept this, it guarantees both your loyalty to Hellsing and your re- admittance back into our ranks upon your return," Integra declared. Wynter gingerly reached out to take the object, bringing it up to examine it carefully. Then she looked up, meeting Integra's eyes. She nodded once, slowly.

"Be that as it may," she said carefully, "I'm still in danger of Hellsing's practices, aren't I?"

Integra nodded. "Yes, you are. Outside of our ranks, no vampire is a true exception. Should you present us with a reason to hunt you down, we will, with no question," Integra said.

"I understand," Wynter answered. "And I thank you, Sir Integra Hellsing,"

She turned, cracking the bones in her wings as she prepared to take off.

"Hey! Hold up a sec!"

Wynter glanced back as Wally approached, grinning. Wynter glared at him, "Ah, the idiot with the flowers," she muttered.

Wally chuckled humorously, "Yeah, that was my doing," he admitted, "But seriously, you think you're gonna get away that easily?"

Before anyone, including Wynter could react, he'd swooped forward and pressed a quick kiss against her lips. Wynter was literally frozen in shock as Wally pulled away, still grinning.

"Wallace P. Copperfield doesn't like debts," he declared, "And I'm not about to let a classy lady like you get away so easily,"

"Creep!" Seras shrieked suddenly, lashing forward and taking a swing at him, "You can't do that to Wynter! Get back here and take what's coming to you!" she yelled, chasing him across the grounds. Wynter just stared after them in bewilderment.

"Okay," she said, "That was rather awkward,"

Alucard chuckled, "It seems you're quite popular, Wynter," he said.

"I don't mean to be. I guess he's still sore at getting beaten rather badly in volleyball a while back," Wynter said, smiling.

A sudden gust of wind whipped up and Wynter glanced up into the sky. "The wind just changed," she mumbled, "I'd better take advantage of this,"

By this point, Wally had disappeared and Seras hurried back, pausing a few feet away.

"You'd better come back, Wynter," she said.

"I will. I'll be sure to visit again within a few years at the most," she assured her. With a sharp rustle and a snap, Wynter unfurled her wings. She beat them fiercely, lifting into the air and catching an updraft that carried her far into the sky until she was nothing more than a black speck on the horizon, disappearing from line of sight in a few seconds. Seras watched her go and sighed sadly. Alucard wandered over and clapped a hand on her head with enough force to nearly knock her off her feet.

"Stop whining, Police-Girl," he admonished, "I'll see to it that she keeps her promise,"

"Really? Why?" Seras asked.

"She thinks she's strong enough, but she's just barely out of your league. If she gets into a mess, she'll most likely need bailing out," he said. Seras recognized the hidden taunting and scowled, shoving his hand away. "You're mean," she growled, stalking off to the training grounds.

Integra stood staring up into the sky, lost in thought. Perhaps Wynter was nothing to worry about. She wasn't like typical vampires. She was the same as Alucard, proud of her vampiric status and noble in her bearing as a result. Was she really an ally to Hellsing? Could she be trusted?

"She can be trusted, Integra," Alucard said, pausing beside her as he made his back to the manor. Integra whirled, surprised. "How did you know that's what I was thinking? I didn't feel you probing my thoughts," she said.

"Oh come now, Integra, I know you well enough," he said with a grin. "We should probably head back. After all, we're burning moonlight," he said with a chuckle. Integra stared after him, frowning slightly. Walter cleared his throat.

"Well, ma'am," he said, "Even though reconstruction is still under way, I believe that the kitchen is still in working order. Why don't I start a fresh pot of tea? If I'm not mistaken, I believe that a small shipment of Ceylon survived the destruction,"

Integra smiled faintly and turned, "Thank you, Walter," she said.

She stopped suddenly, turning back toward the sky as she was sure she'd heard laughter echoing across the horizon. But she searched and searched, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

"Something wrong?" Walter called. Integra shook her head, moving back toward the manor, "Nothing at all, Walter," she answered. "Nothing at all,"

A/N: There it is! It's done! It's finally done! I love it! I adore this story and Wynter has been added to my Hall of Memories! Yay! There's even a sequel in the works! I won't update until I have five chapters done and I'm about to start chapter four, now. So just be patient, okay? I have my other story to think about too, you know.


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